Our services
What we can help you with.
Everything here is free to the people we serve, and everything here is directed by you. We don’t decide what your goals should be — we help you get there.
Required of every Center for Independent Living
The five core services.
Under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act, every Center for Independent Living provides these five. They are the foundation of what we do, and they are available across all seventeen counties we serve.
Not sure any of this applies to you? What counts as a disability is broader than most people expect.
Information and referral
Whatever you are trying to sort out, we help you find what exists and who to ask. We keep track of what is available across the Permian Basin so you don’t have to start from scratch.
- Benefits, housing, health care, equipment, and transport
- Local and state programs you may not know exist
- A straight answer about whether something applies to you
- Open to anyone — you do not have to be receiving other services from us
Peer support
Support from people who have lived it. Peer support connects you with someone who understands disability from the inside rather than from a textbook — and often that is the difference between advice and actual help.
- One-to-one conversations and group sessions
- Cross-disability — you don’t need to have the same diagnosis to help each other
- A place to talk honestly about what is and isn’t working
- Group meetings are posted on our Facebook page
Independent living skills
Practical skills for running your own life, taught at your pace and built around goals you set. What that covers depends entirely on what you want to be able to do.
- Managing money, appointments, paperwork, and time
- Cooking, shopping, and looking after a home
- Using public transport and getting around independently
- Communicating what you need and asking for it clearly
Individual and systems advocacy
Two things at once. Individual advocacy means standing alongside you when you need something and are not being heard. Systems advocacy means working on the conditions themselves, so the next person does not have to fight the same fight.
- Understanding your rights under the ADA and Section 504
- Support in dealings with agencies, landlords, employers, or schools
- Help preparing for a meeting, or someone with you in it
- Work on accessibility in local buildings, transport, and policy
Transition
Transition covers three distinct moves, and people are often surprised by the first two.
- Moving out of a nursing home or institution and into the community
- Staying in your own home when institutional care is being suggested
- Young people leaving school and moving into adult life
- Planning, arranging support, and the practical work of the move itself
A separate program
Accessibility Options.
Accessibility Options is not one of the five core services. It is ABLE’s Purchased Services program, funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and it works differently.
Where the core services are about skills, support, and advocacy, this program can pay for specific things that remove a specific barrier. What it can cover is set by the state, and eligibility is decided case by case — so the useful first step is simply to ask.
How it differs
- Funded by Texas HHSC, not the federal core-services grant
- Governed by its own state rules and eligibility
- Pays for goods and services, rather than providing training or support
- Decided individually, based on the barrier you are facing
Home access
We build ramps.
A ramp is often the difference between living in your home and being stuck in it — or leaving it altogether. It is one of the most concrete things we do.
Whether a ramp is the right answer for your situation, what it involves, and how it is paid for depends on your circumstances. The place to start is a conversation, not a form.
Also available
Getting there, and getting together.
Transportation
We assist with transportation. If getting to an appointment, a class, or an interview is the thing standing in your way, ask us — it is a common problem and often a solvable one.
Classes and community activities
Peer groups, classes, and community get-togethers run through the year. Rather than keep a calendar here that goes stale, we post what is coming up on Facebook as it is scheduled.
Where to begin
You don’t have to know which service you need.
Tell us what you are trying to do and we will work out which of these fits — or tell you honestly if it is something someone else does better.