Grade: B-

Issue Statement:

People with disabilities want to be active citizens of the community, able to contribute to the economic and social fabric of life. However, environmental, financial, knowledge, policy and attitudinal barriers prevent them from full integration into the community and living independently. These barriers reduce the quality of life for people with disabilities and the community in which they live.

• People with disabilities represent a significant portion of the population. Based on the 1998 Boone County Health and Human Services Needs Assessment, nearly 16% of Boone County residents, or about 12,300 people, have one or more impairments that limit major life activity. This estimate excludes persons living in nursing homes or other facilities not considered independent living arrangements.

• The 1998 Needs Assessment shows that people with disabilities are disproportionately affected in the areas of employment, education, income, health status, social and emotional well-being, and health and dental care access. Many respondents report having a major problem in these areas as well; recreational activities, shopping or dining, attending religious services, access to health care, and obtaining transportation.

• In the results of a 1999 survey distributed to people with disabilities at a team-sponsored town meeting and two other meetings of disability groups in Columbia, transportation, health care, dental care, housing, personal care assistance and public sidewalk access were most commonly listed as areas which posed barriers to community integration and independent living for people with disabilities in Boone County.

• People with disabilities who need assistance with routine care needs and/or personal care have their basic right to live in the least restrictive environment threatened due to problems associated with and the shortage of services to meet these needs. In the 1998 Needs Assessment, of those individuals with an activity limitation because of an impairment or health problem, about 28%, or an estimated 12,300 persons, report that they need assistance with routine care needs (e.g. household chores, shopping) and about 14%, or approximately 1,630 persons, report that they need assistance with personal care needs. (e.g. eating, bathing, dressing, getting around the house). In the 1998 Needs Assessment, home health care access ranks overall as the 10th most serious neighborhood problem.

Goal:

Remove barriers for people with disabilities to achieve independent living and community integration in order to enhance the lives of all Boone County residents, with and without disabilities.

• Sponsored a public forum for people with disabilities in Columbia in July 1999 to provide an overview of disability-related findings of the 1998 Boone County Health and Human Services Needs Assessment and the Follow-up Survey, and to gather additional qualitative data on the needs of people with disabilities.

• Gained additional involvement from people with disabilities and others in the community as team members.

• Began outreach to people with disabilities to collect more data on the barriers to community integration and independent living for people with disabilities in Boone County through the use of a simple survey.

• Began involvement in and collaborative efforts with other groups and organizations on overlapping issues.

Strategies:

In order to completely impact change for people with disabilities to live as independently as they choose and experience full community integration, people with disabilities need to be empowered to work toward change by and for themselves. The public needs to be educated about the needs and abilities of people with disabilities, and environmental and policy issues need to be addressed.

• Continue efforts to engage as many people with disabilities as possible in the team's discussions, decisions and actions.

• Continue gathering input from people with disabilities throughout Boone County about barriers they face, for example, holding town meetings in areas outside Columbia.

• Continue looking at developing ways to positively impact the needs of people with disabilities, such as personal care assistance services, transportation, housing, dental care and others.

• Continue education and outreach to people with disabilities to promote independent living and community integration.

• Develop a comprehensive resource of Boone County services that facilitates independent living and community integration for people with disabilities, to be readily accessed by both people with disabilities and those who would provide services to them.

• Advocate for the revision or replacement of existing policy barriers to independent living and community integration for people with disabilities.

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