Information
& Referral:
CFI staff provide the
latest information on and referrals to existing community supports and
services. CFI can help you connect with other agencies and programs in the
area that address
specific needs. Often, the referral is to someone
inside CFI. When that’s not possible, consumers are referred to other
organizations within the greater community that exist to address the
specific need.
Independent Living Skills Training:
CFI’s expert
Independent Living Specialists (ILSs) are here to help any person with a disability acquire the skills needed to live as independently as possible in
the greater community and not be confined to a nursing home or other
institution. Everything from budgeting to accessing public transportation
to seeking more education, CFI’s ILSs are here to help.
Peer
Support:
One of the most
helpful activities in which people with disabilities can participate is
CFI’s Peer Support program. CFI provides a place and an environment where
people with disabilities can forge new friendships, learn from each other,
and offer each other the moral support necessary to live independently in
the community. CFI’s Peer To Peer Group meets monthly at the CFI
Headquarters Office in Kansas City, Kansas and at other locations throughout
the metro area.
Advocacy / Self-Advocacy:
CFI advocates for the
rights and benefits of people with disabilities every day. From ADA
enforcement to legislative activity to individual situations, CFI is a
strong community advocate for fairness and accessibility. CFI also
teaches individuals how to advocate for themselves, which is the most
effective kind of advocacy. Because our counselors and specialists are on
the front lines working with people with disabilities daily, CFI’s advocacy
is very effective real-world situations.
Community
Integration (De-Institutionalization):
CFI helps people with
disabilities who wish to leave nursing homes or other institutions to do
so. When people want to live independently in the community, CFI gives them
the tools to exit institutions and find the places and the means to live in
the community. Often, the Medicaid monies used to pay for care in nursing
homes can be redirected to provide some level of care in their own homes.
CFI has these Other Services too:
Case
Management:
CFI’s expert
Independent Living Counselors (ILCs) offer quality case management for
people who qualify for services under several of the Medicaid waiver
programs.
Payroll
Services:
Consumer directed
waiver services allow consumers to direct their own care and choose their
own personal care assistant (PCA). CFI functions as the Medicaid provider
that bills Medicaid for these services and pays the PCA.
Assistive
Technology:
CFI has the largest
Assistive Technology (AT) department in the Heartland. From augmentative
communication devices to adaptive equipment for computers to anything that
will help a person live or work more independently, CFI can supply it. The
AT Department serves ages from birth to the end of life with assistive and
adaptive equipment for every need, and the evaluations and training
necessary to make the use of the equipment a success. There is also a
Durable Medical Equipment (DME) recycling program where used items such as
wheelchairs, crutches, commode chairs, shower chairs, positioning devices,
and a host of other DME items are made available at nominal costs. AT also
includes internal and external home modifications to make dwellings more
accessible to the people with disabilities who live in them.
