Independence Now

Annual Report

July 1, 2016 – June 30,

2017

Independence Now

12301 Old Columbia Pike, Suite 101Silver Spring, MD 20904

1300 Caraway Court, Suite 200Largo, MD 20774301-277-2839www.innow.org

Mission: We advocate and embody independence and equality for all people with disabilities.

We do this by providing support, guidance, training, education and hands-on-skills for the disability community in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Vision: Our vision is that people with disabilities live independent and fully inclusive lives and are recognized by society as equal.

We believe that people with disabilities serve as the best guide for other people with disabilities by empowering individual choice and self direction. We value a community built on acceptance and equality for all people. Independence Now values serving a diverse population while educating and collaborating within and beyond the disability community.

Independence Now 2017 – A year of new efforts and a lossSarah Sorensen, Executive Director

One of the fathers of the ADA, Justin Dart said “Vote as if your life depends on it…because it does.” We take voting seriously at IN. This year many of our staff attended voter registration training to become officially able to help people register to vote. We also held 2 events that focused on how to use the new voting machines and what to do if you encountered inaccessible polling places.

This year we also began the hard work of visibility for IN. A strong committee was formed, began meeting and is developing marketing tools, messaging and a plan to get the word out about Independence Now!

It was with great sadness that we lost Deborah Jackson, our long time Director of Independent Living Services, in March. Deborah’s passion was Independent Living. Deborah worked for Independence Now for almost ten years, with her final position being the Director of Independent Living. Before coming to Independence Now, she worked for Insight Enterprises for many years doing similar work. Through her work, Deborah supported other people with disabilities to achieve goals that would make them more independent. She was committed to the notion that people with disabilities are in charge of their own lives and she worked tirelessly to ensure that happened for anyone who came across her path. Deborah spent time advocating at the local, state and national level for laws that protected the rights of people with disabilities and increased the amount of affordable, accessible housing. She organized many events at Independence Now that taught people about their rights and self advocacy, she always put her own touch of class and décor on every event. The disability community in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties is better for the work that Deborah accomplished.

Administrative Staff:Sarah Sorensen, Executive Director Debbie Potts, Administrative CoordinatorTodd Thorpe, Operations and IT Coordinator Randy Yowell, HR and AR Coordinator

Travel TrainingHigh School students in our counties often rely upon school buses to get to and from school. When they graduate, however, those that do not have a car or do not drive must rely on public transportation to get to college or work.Many of the consumers who received Travel Training in the past year, have been students at Montgomery College at Shady Grove and Takoma Park campuses. To get there, the students must take busses to and from the subway. For many, it may have been the first experience traveling alone and on a fixed schedule. One such young man, who was referred from IL Services, began travel training accompanied by his mother. Neither was comfortable with his traveling alone. He uses a power wheelchair and had never had to deal with such crowds, before. By the eighth lesson, he was transferring busses at the Silver Spring Station, and traveling to and from Montgomery College on his own. He successfully and independently takes the bus!

Staff:Trish Foley, Project Director Brandon Taylor, Travel TrainerHadassah Lighthouse, Travel Trainer

Youth ProgramsIndependence Now held its Youth Leadership Forum at Towson University north of Baltimore city on June 23-25, 2016. Maryland Youth Leadership Forum (YLF), is a unique career and leadership program that provides high school students with disabilities the opportunity to develop their leadership, independence and self-advocacy skills. Participants are selected to attend based on their accomplishments and leadership potential (academic achievement, community service

Deborah Jackson visiting the FDR Memorial.

and participation in school and community activities), disability diversity and geographic representation. This year twenty-five students completed the three day, two night program. There were 28 applicants that applied for the 2016 Youth Leadership Forum, 3 of the applicants withdrew due to family emergency or internship offers. Of the remaining 25 applicants 13 had just completed high school this year and the rest expected to complete high school in either 2017 or 2018. The delegates represented Baltimore County, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Frederick, St. Mary’s, Howard and Anne Arundel Counties. There was a range of disabilities represented at this year’s forum including Autism Spectrum disorder, ADHD, learning disability, Down syndrome, Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy. During the three days students learned about each other, YLF and disability history and culture, and the legislative process through games, videos and a visit to Annapolis. They prepared mock testimonies and talking points to present to “legislators” at a hearing on the importance of “Inclusion for All.” Evening time included Wonderfullymade4you (Sip & Paint) and Artstream activities. Delegates were empowered by the outcome of their inspirational paintings and gained a better understanding of life, team building and leadership skills. On the third day delegates met in small groups to talk about their goals for the future and what steps would be needed to reach those goals. Delegates met professionals who have disabilities and had the opportunity to talk with them about career possibilities and independent living. The official forum concluded with a graduation ceremony where parents and family members of the delegates were invited to celebrate their completion of the program with them.

Staff: Kelvin Hawkins, Youth Program Coordinator

Maryland Work Incentives Network (WIPA)As we near the end of our 4th year since the hiatus of Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA), it is time to review how much has been accomplished. It has certainly been our busiest year ever. In the past year, we have served nearly 900 individuals who receive disability benefits from Social Security. We have helped them understand that it is OK to go back to work and in most cases will make their lives better through earned income. Some of the increase in our activity is due to better economic conditions that are finally improving the employment prospects of people with disabilities.But numbers only tell part of the story. One issue that we frequently face is handling people who have been given incorrect and inconsistent information from SSA. We talked to a beneficiary who was told by somebody at SSA that she was going to lose her benefits because she took a job so soon after getting her benefits. After investigating the situation, we were able to tell her that she is eligible for a Trial Work Period after all. She was very relieved to learn that she would not have to quit her job or risk her benefits.This is what we do. Give good news to people about working and managing benefits. It can also include other benefits beyond what they get from SSA. There are work incentives for housing benefits, Medicare, SNAP and a variety of other benefits that people receive. And we let them know about them every day.Staff:David Mitchell, Project DirectorCindy LaBon, CWIC

Independence Now worked to register people to vote!

Independence Now, Inc. Statements of Financial Position as of September 30, 2016

Independence Now, Inc.Statements of Support, Revenue and Expenses and Changes in Net Assets BalancesAs of September 30, 2016

TOTALS2016 2015

Support and Revenue $ $Support 1,314,137 1,306,088Revenue 52,621 24,719Total support and revenue 1,367,917 1,330,807Expenses

Program services 1,297,910 1,256,316General and administrative 18,375 32,632

Total expenses 1,316,285 1,288,948 Changes in Net Assets 51,632 41,859

TOTALS

2016 2015

Assets $ $

Cash and cash equivalents 482,666 430,401Investments 645,931 609,935Grants and contracts receivable 144,075 182,862

Prepaid expenses and other liabilities 21,500 9,605

Property and equipment, net 7,542 10,434

Total assets 1,301,714 1,243,237

Liabilities

Accounts and other payables 97,382 97,535

Deferred revenue 21,676 13,059

Deferred rent 2,025 0

Capital leases 3,034 6,678

Total liabilities 124,117 117,272

Net assets

Unrestricted 1,171,445 1,121,731

Temporarily restricted 6,152 4,234

Total Net Assets 1,177,597 1,125,965

Independent Living ServicesDuring the 2017 reporting year, Independence Now (INNOW) Inc. has provided Independent Living (IL) services to 215 consumers with disabilities who live in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. Implementing the Independent Living Services vision at INNOW includes five (5) core services: Advocacy; Independent Living Skills Training; Information & Referrals; Peer Support; and Youth and Nursing Facility Transitions.

INNOW’s goals for consumers are empowerment, self-determination and achieving equal access through reducing and removing barriers in their communities that will result in a better quality of life. Ms. “M” is a 47-years old woman with a physical disability. She moved to Maryland from Ohio in 2012 and was in need of housing and other social services. Ms. M learned about IN at a nursing home in Silver Spring and contacted us in April 2016. Together with her IL specialist, Ms. M set three major goals: 1) going back to school to complete Associate’s degree in Financial Management; 2) obtaining a laptop, and 3) finding a place to live. With support from INNOW, along with her own hard work and determination, Ms. M achieved all three goals in only ten months! She obtained a new computer, signed up for classes at Montgomery Community College (MCC), and moved into a new and accessible apartment in February 2017, and according to her, she is quite delighted at what she has achieved, noting: “Had I found Independence Now earlier, I could have achieved my dreams earlier.” Ms. M’s next goal is to finish her studies at MCC and to find a job to support herself, and Independence Now will stand with her every step of the way.

Mr. “B” moved to the US from Ethiopia to live in a relative’s home eight years ago, when he got very sick and could not live with his family members anymore. Mr. B went to the Fox Chase Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Montgomery County where he lived until 2016. But, with INNOW’s help, he completed an application to Inwood House. Although he had been on the waiting list for six years, Mr. B was finally approved last June. He says, “I am really happy and appreciate what Independence Now did for me. Without Independence Now, I actually did not know what I was going to do with my life after my family abandoned me when I had the stroke.” While waiting for housing, Mr. B learned several independent living skills such as budgeting, cooking, travel skills, self-advocacy, and other daily skills which he is now successfully utilizing in his new apartment. Independence Now is indeed proud of Mr. B.

Ms. M and Mr. B’s achievements and the accomplishments of other consumers demonstrate how our Independent Living philosophy becomes reality.

In keeping the IL philosophy of consumer control and direction, IN has several consumers who have become regular volunteers with IN. These volunteers include: Jorge Obregon, Housing Seminar Assistant; Donna Jackson, IL Services Office Assistant; and Rhonda Austin, Cooking Class Assistant

We are also privileged to have many IN newsletter volunteers as well as a volunteer through Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind who assists Victor Murrana, one of the IL Specialist who is blind.

Throughout the 2016-2017 fiscal year, IN hosted group events that focused on Centers for Independent Living (CIL) core services, national focus issues and interests, as identified by consumers. These events have resulted in consumers achieving and identifying additional goals; increasing self-confidence; gaining new friends; becoming more informed of their rights; learning more about different types of disabilities; as well as the lives of others and how they live with their disabilities. In addition to our regular monthly and quarterly IL Services events, IN hosted the following special events:

Youth Become Empowered; Women’s Tea; LGBT+ Disability and Us; Tea with Dr. Lee Vision Awareness; Legal Advocacy Seminar;

A Section 811 / Weinberg Housing Open Forum; The Interview (job skills) Youth in the Kitchen; and Your Vote Counts (covering voting rights)

Independence now looks forward to continuing to organize true life enriching opportunities designed to actively engage our consumers by leveraging their opportunities, resources and experiences in the 2018 fiscal year and beyond.

Staff:Shannon Minnick, Director Abiola Heyliger, IL Housing Specialist

Rochelle Harrod, Independent Living Specialist Victor Murrana, Independent Living SpecialistAnnual Independent Living Highlights142 Consumers served in Prince George’s County 357 Peer Counseling Services Provided

65 Consumers served in Montgomery County 151 Outreach/education sessions

257 IL Skills Training and Life Skills Training 1342 Information and Referral Services Provided

110 Advocacy/Legal Services 162 Transition Services

Money Follows the PersonMoney Follows the Person (MFP) in Maryland is a statewide program with the purpose of aiding Medicaid eligible nursing facility residents to transition from institutional living to community living. Our Peer Support Partners, who have personal experience with disability and institutional settings, conduct outreach and support at 48 nursing facilities in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties. The three main components of Independence Now’s MFP Program include peer outreach, peer support and options counseling. These services offer support and equip residents with the tools and resources to transition into the community. In 2013, while visiting Bradford Oaks Nursing Facility, Mike Saunders, Lead Peer Support Counselor, met E, a young man with a newly acquired spinal cord injury. At the age of 21, E was anxious to leave the facility and get on with his life. Mike assisted him to fill out the application for the Community Options Waiver and in January of 2014 he was enrolled and on his way.E now has a subsidized apartment in Columbia and is working as an Independent Living Specialist for Accessible Resources for Independence, the CIL which serves Howard and Anne Arundel Counties. He spends a good deal of his time at the MAP office for Anne Arundel County, assisting people with disabilities to improve their lives and become more independent.Peer Outreach Counselors affect the lives of Nursing Facility residents every day. It is exciting to find evidence of that change later on.

Staff: Michael Saunders, Lead Peer Support Counselor Carlos Garner, Peer Support PartnerDevon Harrison, Peer Support Partner Wanda Hawkins-Barber, Options Counselor

Assistive TechnologyIn the past year, Independence Now has assisted 37 people obtain home modifications and assistive technology. A third of the consumers requested stair lifts. When one lives in a two story home with the living area on the first floor and the bed and bath rooms on the second, it is often too difficult to travel between. Two such consumers were women with spinal cord injuries who had chosen to live on the second floor of their homes exclusively. Neither had been downstairs in a year as they could not afford to install a stair lift and no one in the family could carry them. By coincidence they both applied for assistance through the Home Modification and Assistive Technology program last fall with the hopes of being able to help cook for Thanksgiving and to be able to eat the dinner with their families.Just being able to travel downstairs in their home made them less isolated, more included in day to day family life. They could entertain guests and could now leave their homes to visit, to shop, to go to church. Their independence increased greatly through the home modification.

Staff: Trish Foley, Director of Community Programs

Supports Planning A.A. is known throughout Independence Now as a success and a triumph. When we first met, she had been living in a nursing facility and although not happy there, always greeted people with a big smile. That’s just the way A.A. is – she greets everyone as though they were the most important person in the world and she had been waiting all week just to see YOU. She is always generous and understanding of others foibles.Moving day came and we were all excited. A lot of planning and work went into the big moment but when the time came all was ready – groceries bought and stored away, all the necessities ready, needed equipment in place and a wonderful aide ready to help A.A. settle in to home. When I spoke to her on the phone later that evening, she reported being “all tucked in and happy to be in her own bed”. It really is about that isn’t it – sleeping in your own bed, in your own place and making the small but important choices.But A.A. had a long journey and it was tough for many long months. She needed a power chair and wasn’t able to propel her manual chair at all. It took what must have seemed forever to be evaluated for a new chair, have it built, adjusted and delivered. Now THAT was the most exciting day of all! Finally, finally, Independence Now!A.A. has always been self-determined but now she has the support she needs to achieve her goals and live the life she said she wanted when we first met her. There were tears along the way but she survived the bumps with sheer grit, determination and an insistence positive outlook. She is now on to new goals and Independence Now is excited to see where she goes next.

Staff: Beth Munro, Director Supports Planning Services Tonya Gilchrist, Supports PlannerCarol Cordova, Supports Planner

Employment Services Employment Services is now in its second year. And what a year it has been! Since the last report 8 people secured employment. Individuals are working in the field of their choosing. Two secured work in the automotive industry, one at a dealership and one worked for a private mechanic to learn the trade. Another individual is working at a doggie daycare center. Two are working for a nonprofit, one person is working part time for a retail establishment and yet another is working part time for a tag and title company. One consumer has accepted a position in housekeeping with a government contractor and will start when the background check is completed and he receives his security clearance. Employment Services is still waiting approval for DDA certification to provide Supported Employment. Once this occurs, employment staff are certified to provide this higher level service at an increased hourly reimbursement rate. We have 4 people enrolled in The Ticket to Work Program and 3 people in the pre-employment transition services and employment services. We’ve also partnered with Independent Living Services to complete the first Work Readiness program for transitional youth.

Ms. P is a woman in her 40s who came to IN for services. She had never held a paid job in her life. While in school she had unpaid internships and volunteer jobs but she never received a pay check. She loved animals and used to have a cat. Talking with Ms. P and her aunt in the job exploration phase revealed her love of animals and her desire to work with animals. This discovery process led us to All Dogs Club doggie daycare. Ms. P was hired to assist the front desk clerk with daily operations of the center to ensure the animals get good care. She washes dishes, helps prepare lunch and snacks and interacts with the dogs at different times depending on her duties. The staff really like Ms. P. She stands a little taller today and is quite proud of her accomplishments!

Staff: Denise Sosbe, Employment Coordinator

Independence Now’s Board of Directors:Robert Watson, President, Prince George’s CountyCindy Buddington, Vice-President, Montgomery County Justin Campbell, Treasurer, Prince George’s CountySandra Sermons, Secretary, Montgomery CountyTimothy Hairston, Prince George’s CountyAlex Vakalopoulos, Montgomery CountyJessica Finkel, Montgomery CountyCarolyn Diaz, Prince George’s CountyFrancie Gilman, Montgomery CountyMarc Wilkerson, Montgomery CountyJamie Freeny, Prince George’s County

Independence Now FundersAid Association for the Blind of the District of Columbia

Maryland Department of AgingMaryland Department of Disabilities

Maryland Developmental Disabilities CouncilMaryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services

Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Rehabilitation ServicesMid-Atlantic ADA Center

Montgomery County Department of Health and Human ServicesPrince George’s County Department of Family Services

Social Security AdministrationUS Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Community Living

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority And private contributions!

Federal Grants47%Other

Grants 34%

Fee for Service15%

Investment Income2%

Other Income2%

2016 Sources of Income

Independence Now’s services are free of charge and are provided without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, or type(s) of disability.

All public information is available in alternate formats such as Braille, large print or electronic upon request.

Feel the Power March 2016