Persons Assuming Control of Their Environment

Program Details

Operating Agency: Persons Assuming Control of their Environment (Private, Nonprofit )

Person In Charge: Executive Director : Nancy McClellan-Hickey

Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM; answering machine Noon-1:00 PM

Eligibility: Services available to people with disabilities; families, friends & community members. Must be referred for vocational services

Fees: None

Intake Process: Call for information or to schedule an appointment - Jack Delzell - Program Director

Service Area: Champaign, Douglas, Edgar, Piatt, and Vermilion counties.

Handicap Accessibility: Full Wheelchair Access,

Program/Service Notes

PACE is a center for independent living, serving individuals with disabilities, their families & service providers, through education, outreach, advocacy and training. PACE offers disability awareness education in many areas - housing, living skills, self-advocacy, education and civil rights. PACE's goal is the full participation of people with disabilities into all the rights and responsibilities of American life. A. Information and Resources: 1. Disability related information and referral 2. Personal assistance referral service - PACE provides referrals of personal assistants who are looking for jobs. This program can be used by any person with a disability, their family members or friends assisting a person with a disability. The person with the disability must pay the salary for the work done. The assistant is not a PACE employee. There is no fee for the referral service. 3. Interpreter referral 4. Housing lists B. Access and Advocacy 1. Individual advocacy 2. Systemic advocacy 3. Accessibility surveys 4. Braille printing/scanner 5. Assistive devices/independent living aids consultation 6. Deaf services: * TTY distribution -- TTYs are distributed to deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech impairments. People must apply at Illinois Telecommunications Access Corporation (ITAC) first. * Interpreter referral -- A list is revised every 3 months and distributed to consumers, businesses and organizations. * Information and referral -- Information on how to get interpreters, where to take sign language classes, where to get benefits, where to get equipment. etc. * Advocacy -- Systemic advocacy helps to educate about the need for changes in systems to accommodate for deafness. Individual advocacy assists a person in asserting their needs or legal rights in various situations with a landlord, teacher, business, government entity, etc. Much advocacy involves education regarding the ADA. * Independent living skills -- PACE teaches those that are deaf or hard of hearing the skills necessary to enhance their living independently. 7. PACE is an ITAC selection center for free amplified phones disbursement to qualified individual who are hard of hearing. C. Skills Development 1. Personal assistant management training -- Helps the disabled learn the skills necessary for recruiting, interviewing, checking references, hiring, scheduling, supervising, maintaining and firing a personal assistant. 2. Employment search skills - on a limited basis * Job Choice -- Transferable skills analysis, skills assessment, community resources, job market survey * Job seeking skills -- Applications, interviews, resume writing, cover letters, networking, job accommodations, identifying solutions to employment barriers, job search information, motivation training, job search plan. * Job retention -- Employee rights/Employer expectations, problem solving, getting along with co-workers * Other employment services -- Sixty day follow up after employment, job analysis, employer site visit. 3. Basic computer skills training 4. Computer typing tutorial 5. Public transit use 6. Assertiveness 7. Budgeting 8. Financial benefit attainment 9. Adaptive cooking techniques 10. Civil rights and the law D. Counseling 1. Independent living 2. Peer 3. Vocational E. Other services 1. Disability Awareness program 2. Independent living needs assessment 3. Mass transit disability verification Community Reintegration Program: Th program is designed to assist consumers with moving out of a nursing home and back into the community. With proper support systems many individuals with disabilities who currently reside in a nursing home can successfully reintegrate into the community and live independently. Who can benefit from the program? Individuals with a disability between the ages of 18-59 who currently reside in a nursing home/long term care facility and are seeking alternative housing. Services offered: * Assistance with locating affordable/accessible housing * Help in obtaining a personal assistant * General support services * Help in obtaining furniture/household items * Accessible home modifications * Other individual concerns as needed Contact Rajean at (217)344-5433 (V); (217) 344-5024 (TTY) or e-mail: rajean@pacecil.og

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