Family Supports

Compass Inc will connect each family and individual with a mentor with shared experience. This mentor will have knowledge and experience with a variety of community services available to the individual and the family. The mentor will explore with the individual and family different behaviors that will lead to success. This includes building community relationships in social settings.

Compass Inc believes each individual should direct their life choices, supports and resources. Individuals have unique talents, preferences and dreams. The goal is to mentor the individual and families as they make important life decisions that lead to a high quality of life across their lifespan. These life choices affect all aspects of their life, to include but not limited to; social, work, home life, spirituality, safety, financial and self-advocacy.

Each mentor will be experienced and trained on the different services available to the family and individual. The peer provides information, resources, support and guidance on how to access and provide a holistic approach on the best way to take advantage of these available supports and services. The mentor can be a trained mentor, parent or other family member who provides this service to a peer, another parent or family caregiver who is the primary unpaid support to the child/young adult with I/DD.

Family and Peer mentors encourage individuals and families to share their learning experiences with other individuals and families. By paying it forward, a circle of support is created for our Compass Inc community.

Compass Inc assists families with education and support to maintain the family unit. This training is individualized to meet the unique needs of each individual and family as identified in a Person Centered Plan.

We assist each individual so they can direct their life choices, supports and resources to create a healthy and well-rounded lifestyle of their choice.

This service provides a variety of education techniques to empower the family. Compass Inc gives family caregivers access to educational materials, training programs, workshops, conferences, as well as transportation to and from trainings. Education materials will assist the family with the following:

• Understanding the disability
• Feeling confident in the provision of service and support to the individual
• Awareness of understanding generic community resources available to the individual
• Parenting strategies
• Advocacy skills
• Self-advocacy skills

Compass Inc encourages individuals to attend and participate in workshops and conferences that foster and develop self-advocacy skills, exercise civil rights, and apply learned skills that will lead to greater self-direction/control of life decisions.

Based on each individual unique life choices, supports and resources, each individual has the opportunity to learn about their specific interests and supports to help create a healthy and well-rounded lifestyle of their choice.

Assistive Technology (AT) purpose is to maintain or improve an individual’s independence, enhance interactions, support meaningful relationships and promote their ability to live independently and meaningful participate in their community.

An environmental assessment is an on-site assessment with the individual at their primary residence to determine if environmental modification or AT may be necessary. These assessments are conducted by an Occupational Therapist (OT). The OT must complete an Environmental Assessment Service Report to document findings and recommendations based on an onsite environmental assessment of a home or residence (where the individual lives or will live) and interviews with the individual and their support network.

Environmental modifications are physical modifications to the home as a result of an assessment designed to support the individual’s decision to have greater independence and/or create a safer, healthier environment. The cost of services must be customary, reasonable, and may not exceed $17,500 (including vehicle modifications) over an individual’s lifespan, unless otherwise authorized by Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA).

Transportation services are designed specifically to improve an individual ability to access community activities in response to needs identified through the individual’s Person Center Plan (PCP). Services shall increase individual independence and reduce level of service need and support. These services can include transportation services outlined below:

• Orientation services in using other senses or supports for safe movement from one place to another;
• Mobility such as transportation, coordination and accessing resources;
• Travel training such as supporting the individual in learning how to access and utilize informal, generic, and public transportation for independence and community integration;
• Transportation services provided by different modalities, including, public and community transportation, taxi services, transportation specific prepaid transportation cards, mileage reimbursement, volunteer transportation, and non-traditional transportation providers; and
• Purchase of prepaid transportation vouchers and cards such as the Charm Card and Taxi Cards.

Individuals with I/DD need to be able to access their community. This includes identifying accessible and affordable public transportation. The opportunity to access resources to modify a vehicle can be very empowering to the individual and lead to a higher quality of life.