Programs & What We Do

Independent Living

This is NRCIL's core funding and main program. It is the reason the Center exists. The listed objectives may vary from year to year in response to the varying needs of the community, but the following is representative of our services:

Conduct activities that will assist individuals in being involved in the community and advocating on behalf of themselves and their peers.

Identify disability issues during the year and involve staff and volunteers in motivating members of the community to actively pursue the issues

Provide assistance and advocacy to public entities on understanding rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other Federal and State laws.

Provide assistance to interested individuals on understanding their rights and responsibilities under the ADA and other Federal and State laws.

Assist people in developing support groups upon request.

Offer core independent living services dependent upon adequate funding and community demand. These can include but are not limited to advocacy, peer counseling, information and referral, benefits advisement, independent living skills, housing assistance and voter registration.

Our target service area is Jefferson, Lewis and Northern Oswego Counties, but we will respond to requests for services from individuals living in Southern St. Lawrence County, Northern Oswego County and other rural locations in Northern and Central New York.

More detailed information on the Independent Living Program is available here.

AIDS In Prison Program

The goal of this program is that prisoners, after release, have information about and access to services in their home communities regarding their disability. Formal and informal feedback from prisoners and prison staff is reviewed by NRCIL's Executive Director, Program Director and AIDS in Prison Program staff assess outcomes, identify gaps and develop new objectives.

The Corrections Support Coordinator, (CSC), works directly with the medical and other staff at each correctional facility. Medical staff contact each inmate who has been tested HIV+ to determine if they wish to receive NRCIL services. Prisoners who sign a HIV Release of Information have an intake meeting with the CSC and depending on their interest will be referred to a NRCIL support group or when available one-on-one advocacy with the CSC. Department of Corrections medical records will be individually reviewed with participating prisoners approximately once per month to discuss treatment diagnosis and help prisoners understand health, immune system and medications.

The Corrections Transition Planner, (CTP), provides comprehensive discharge planning services that directly link pre-releasees who are HIV+ with services upon return to their home communities. Working individually with inmates with HIV the CTP ensures that releasees are linked with entitlements, case managers, medical services and other support services relevant to individual situations. Releasees who participate in NRCIL's program have access to enhanced personal skills to manage their health, service and personal care, access to appropriate services in their home community, introduction to lifestyle changes and enhanced quality of life.

Two HIV Educators joined NRCIL staff in fall 1997 to initiate comprehensive AIDS education in five State Correctional Facilities. The program includes education to the general prison population, focus groups, and inmate peer training of trainers.

More detailed information on the AIDS in Prison Program is available here.

Family Support Services

Family Support Services is an element of the community-based system of care for families of children with disabilities.  Family Support Services at NRCIL consists of an array of formal and informal services with an emphasis on self-determination and family control. In this program, families work together to achieve a non-discriminating and embracing community for their children with disabilities.  Family Support emphasizes full parent participation in service planning and evaluation of services in the child’s own home and community whenever possible. NRCIL advocates for flexibility and responsiveness from the formal service system. Family centered planning allows families to choose the services and goals which best meet their individual family needs.  The components of this program combine to assist and empower families to reach these goals.

Included in supports are:

1.  Parent Groups give parents and family members of children with disabilities the opportunity to meet other families with similar issues and build natural supports.
2.  Respite and Recreational Activities provides the opportunity for short breaks to assist in reducing or preventing stress for Jefferson County families of children with mental health disabilities.
3.  Family Support and Advocacy (educational and daily living) enables parents to become effective members of their child’s medical and educational teams, locate resources to help parents better understand their child’s disability, provide support through the special education process and assist parents to become their child’s best advocate.  
4. Youth Advocacy Leadership and Empowerment (YALE) assists youth with disabilities to set and achieve educational and vocational goals and promotes opportunities for youth to be on local, regional, and state boards and committees.
5. Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC) provides information and training for parents and families of children with disabilities so that they feel empowered, encouraged and confident to become active, informed decision makers on behalf of their family and child/children with disabilities.

More detailed information on the Family Support Services Program is available here.

Individual Support Services

The purpose of supports is to assist individuals with developmental disabilities living on their own to preclude inappropriate out-of-home placement and to preserve and enhance a family's ability to provide in-home care to their family members with a developmental disability. Funding is intended to complement, not supplant, other support and assistance programs. In addition, the initiative is an effort to give individuals and families more choice and flexibility in the selection of supports, build on natural support networks and community resources, and recognize that individuals and families are best able to identify their own capacities and needs. NRCIL currently has one ISS grant which is managed in the Watertown office.

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