NYS INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTERS
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
SYSTEMS CHANGE OUTCOME RESULTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The Role of Independent Living Centers in
Bringing About Community and Systems Change
2000-2001

New York’s 35 Independent Living Centers (ILCs) receive $10.5 million to provide an array of independent living services to individuals and to advocate for and lead change to systems affecting the lives of people with disabilities. “Systems Change”, in the context of New York State’s Independent Living Standards, Performance Measures and Data Collection Guide means, “Permanent change to policies, practices and decisions in the public and/or private sector that control resources necessary to enhance integration, inclusion and independence of people with disabilities as a group”.

Each of the 35 Independent Living Centers must achieve three results of community and systems change per year under contract with the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID). VESID has established six distinct domains of systems change in areas of Education, Employment, Health Care, Commerce, Social and Citizenship. Furthermore, tracking within categories is also done to group similar results together within each domain. For instance, within the Education domain, results are grouped if they have had an impact on A. transition services, B. receipt of funding non-pre-K through university or business program, or C. if the result demonstrated integration of a new educational component into a curriculum. Under the Health Care domain, results are grouped if they addressed A. legislation/regulation/policy, B. consumer directed personal assistance or C. increased access to physician offices/clinics.

A detailed analysis of results are maintained in a systems change inventory database to determine frequency of specific types of systems change in each domain and the number of results in subcategories of each domain. Results are shared with the field on an annual basis to report on outcomes and provide opportunities for exchanges of best practices. Below is a sampling of results from the reporting period, October 1, 2000 – September 30, 2001. During the same reporting period, the network of 35 ILCs served over 66,000 individuals with and without disabilities with direct services.

There were 240 instances of results of community and systems change accomplished by the New York State network of Independent Living Centers with 83 percent of ILCs achieving the required three or more outcomes. One ILC achieved results in each of the six domains of systems change.

The most frequently occurring outcomes of community and systems change are:

• Bringing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III. covered public and private entities into full compliance with accessibility standards under the law. There were 36 successful instances where ILCs worked with owners of such entities as supermarkets, banks, restaurants, malls, etc. to increase access to marketplace goods and services.
• Ensuring that schools pre-k though college including both public and private are accessible physically and programmatically. There were 22 instances of enhanced school access.
• Ensuring that parks and other places of public recreation are fully accessible. There were 15 instances where ILCs facilitated accessibility by working with local, county or state officials to make parks, playgrounds, fishing docks and piers, and other recreational sites accessible to all.
• Increasing the number of employers who hire people with disabilities. There were 14 instances where ILCs developed new employers who hired a person with a disability for the first time.
• Bringing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II. covered entities into full compliance with access standards under the law. There were 14 instances where ILCs worked with local town and county governments to address full access to buildings, programs and services such as libraries, courts, town halls, etc.

Some unique results that span the range of domains include the following:

Education

• Genesee Region Independent Living Center in Batavia achieved systems change in Education when Batavia City Schools and the Center established a written agreement instituting a procedural change whereby transition plans for students with disabilities include information on Plan for the Achievement of Self Support (PASS), NYS Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), and agency linkages.
• Southern Tier Independence Center in Binghamton achieved systems change in Education when Johnson City School District rescinded a discriminatory policy restricting children with high medical needs from attending school when the school nurse is absent.
• Catskill Center for Independence in Oneonta achieved systems change in Education when the Center’s efforts led to the removal of the principal and superintendent of Margaretville School leaving the new administration to exercise Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
• Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley in Troy achieved systems change in Education when Schenectady County Community College established an American Sign Language (ASL) curriculum through the use of deaf sign language instructors provided by the Center.
• Northern Regional Center for Independent Living in Watertown achieved systems change in Education when Lafargeville Central School changed a restrictive policy and now allows students enrolled in a GED program to participate in senior-level class activities.

Employment

• Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York in Manhattan achieved systems change in Employment when the Center contracted with NYS Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), for the first time, to work with VESID referred consumers on a fee-for-service basis toward obtaining and keeping employment.
• Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York in Manhattan achieved systems change in Employment when the Bronx District Office of NYS Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) discontinued referring consumers to an unaccredited vocational training agency and revised its referral practices to ensure that no unaccredited vendors would be used in the future.
• Massena Independent Living Center in Massena achieved systems change in Employment when the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Summer Youth Program, operated by the local One-Stop Career Center, relocated a scheduled meeting to an accessible site and changed its scheduling policy to hold future meetings at a site and with a format that is accessible to persons with disabilities.
• Action Toward Independence in Middletown achieved systems change in Employment when a Center staff person became a member of the Orange County Codes Council in an effort to increase employer compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other pertinent laws/regulations affecting the employment of persons with disabilities.

Health Care

• Catskill Center for Independence in Oneonta achieved systems change in Health Care when the Otsego County 9-1-1 system began providing direct access to TTY users.
• Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York in Manhattan achieved systems change in Health Care when Urban Family Health revised and implemented a new front desk protocol to meet the needs of patients with disabilities and created a new protocol for interacting with patients with disabilities during routine medical examinations.
• Rockland Independent Living Center in Rockland achieved systems change in Health Care when Nyack Hospital established a policy regarding the provision of sign language interpreter services.
• Staten Island Center for Independent Living in Staten Island achieved systems change in Health Care when Staten Island University Hospital established a sign language interpreter on call process and installed TDD machines providing them to patients upon request.
• Northern Regional Center for Independent Living in Watertown achieved systems change in Health Care when the Center established a new Consumer Directed Personal Assistance (CDPA) Program at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of the North Country.

Commerce

• Capital District Center for Independence in Albany achieved systems change in Commerce when Albany County passed Resolution 445 that mandates an additional $30.00 fine for parking illegally in handicapped parking spaces.
• Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled in Brooklyn achieved systems change in Commerce when Pathmark Supermarket started opening the main gate to the entrance as needed for wheelchair users.
• Access to Independence and Mobility in Corning achieved systems change in Commerce when Southern Tier Library made accessible computers and Braille literature available.
• Resource Center for Accessible Living in Kingston achieved systems change in Commerce when the town of Wawarsing re-striped the parking lot at the Town Building to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York in Manhattan achieved systems change in Commerce when the Center’s efforts resulted in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) conducting an investigation of New York City Housing Authority's (NYCHA) allocation of Section 8 vouchers exclusively to NY Society for the Deaf. NYCHA revised its policy to make them available citywide to anyone with a disability.
• Niagara Frontier Center for Independent Living in Niagara Falls achieved systems change in Commerce when the Main Street Business Association changed its scheduling policy to hold meetings at an accessible site(s).
• Taconic Resources for Independence in Poughkeepsie achieved systems change in Commerce when the Woodstock Justice Court started providing effective communication for persons with disabilities.
• Regional Center for Independent Living in Rochester achieved systems change in Commerce when an accessible door was installed at the Fort Hill Apartments.
• Northern Regional Center for Independent Living in Watertown achieved systems change in Commerce when the Center’s efforts resulted in the city of Watertown changing its planning process to alter the traffic flow in the downtown area to include input from the disability community.

Social

• Catskill Center for Independence in Oneonta achieved systems change in Social when Holiday Lanes bowling alley modified four alleys to be accessible to wheelchair users.
• Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York in Manhattan achieved systems change in Social when the Manhattan Theater Club developed a reduced price ticket program for people with disabilities and made access aides available.
• Massena Independent Living Center in Massena achieved systems change in Social when the tiered amphitheater style seating at the Andrews Street Park was made accessible to persons experiencing disabilities.
• Westchester Disabled on the Move in Yonkers achieved systems change in Social when Yonkers Department of Recreation and Parks created an accessible playground at Welty Park.

Citizenship

• Genesee Region Independent Living Center in Batavia achieved systems change in Citizenship when Stafford Town Hall installed proper signage on its designated parking spaces for persons with disabilities and became fully accessible.
• Southern Tier Independence Center in Binghamton achieved systems change in Citizenship when Center staff began serving on the advisory committee of the Verizon Consumer Advisory Panel.
• Access to Independence and Mobility in Corning achieved systems change in Citizenship when a consumer who completed the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) funded leadership training hosted by the Center was placed on the Board at Southern Tier Library Systems.
• Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York in Manhattan achieved systems change in Citizenship when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued clarifying guidelines to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to agency services.
• Independent Living, Inc. in Newburgh achieved systems change in Citizenship when the Center’s efforts resulted in the Orange County Board of Elections making a firehouse-based polling site located in the town of Wallkill fully accessible.

NYS INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTERS
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
SYSTEM CHANGE OUTCOMES
OCTOBER 1, 2000 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2001
STATEWIDE DATA REPORT
SYSTEM CHANGE DOMAINS	OUTCOMES ACHIEVED
	# of ILCs	% of 35 ILCs	# of OUTCOMES	% of TOTAL OUTCOMES
EDUCATION	23	66%	53	22%
EMPLOYMENT	10	29%	26	11%
HEALTH CARE	24	69%	38	16%
COMMERCE	26	74%	63	26%
SOCIAL	21	60%	41	17%
CITIZENSHIP	10	29%	19	8%
TOTAL			240	100%

 

NYS INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTERS
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
SYSTEM CHANGE OUTCOMES
OCTOBER 1, 2000 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2001 NUMBER OF SYSTEMS CHANGE DOMAINS ACHIEVED BY ILCS
			SYSTEM CHANGE DOMAINS
			EDU-CATION	EMPLOY-MENT	HEALTH CARE	COM-MERCE	SOCIAL	CITIZEN-SHIP	RESULTS *
No.	LOCATION	ILC							TOTAL	S	U
1	Albany	Capital District Center for Independence			X	X	X	X	4	X
2	Amsterdam	Resource Center for Independent Living-Amsterdam	X		X	X			3	X
3	Auburn	Options for Independence				X	X		2		X
4	Batavia	Genesee Region Independent Living Center	X			X	X	X	4	X
5	Binghamton	Southern Tier Independence Center	X		X	X		X	4	X
6	Bronx	Bronx Independent Living Services	X						1		X
7	Brooklyn	Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled	X		X	X			3	X
8	Buffalo	Western New York Independent Living Project	X		X	X	X		4	X
9	Corning	Access to Independence and Mobility			X	X	X	X	4	X
10	Delaware	Catskill Center for Independence	X	X	X	X	X		5	X
11	Glens Falls	Glens Falls Independent Living Center			X	X	X		3	X
12	Harlem	Harlem Independent Living Center							0		X
13	Ithaca	Finger Lakes Independence Center			X	X	X		3	X
14	Jamestown	Southwestern Independent Living Center	X		X	X			3	X
15	Kingston	Resource Center for Accessible Living	X