Disability Empowerment Center Inc

Programs: The disability empowerment center (dec) is the center for independent living serving lancaster and lebanon counties. Dec is a non-profit organization run by and for people with disabilities. Our efforts are dedicated to attaining equal opportunity and full participation of people with diverse disabilities in all aspects of community life. Dec provides free and confidential services that prioritize self-determination, personal choice, and consumer control to individuals of all ages and with all types of disabilities. Programs include independent living services, transitional services, advocacy, peer mentoring, support groups, and information and referral services. We served 321 consumers this past year.

dec offers services to support the deaf and hard of hearing from our area. This includes case management for the deaf and hard of hearing, sign language courses, and interpreter services. Funds for these services are generated through contracts with colleges, doctor offices, and businesses to provide qualified interpreters so these places can meet the needs of their deaf students or customers.

the disability empowerment center provides service coordination for individuals within various waiver programs. We support people from lancaster, lebanon, york, perry, cumberland, dauphin, chester, berks, and schuylkill counties. Once selected by the consumer, we assist people to develop a service plan and to connect with the services and resources the person needs to live independently. Our service coordinator annually evaluates the consumer's strengths, needs, preferences, and desired outcomes. Then we support the person to develop an individual service plan to meet the person's chosen goals. The service coordinator monitors these goals throughout the year and assists the person with problem solving and provider referrals. The service coordination program emphasizes participant education, participant centered services, participant choice and participant satisfaction. Revenue is collected from a number of different "waiver" funds including act 150, attendant care, aging, commcare, independent, and obra waivers.