Who We Are

    CARF Survey Summary

    Ability Beyond Disability has strengths in many areas.

    The organization is proactive in its efforts to solicit and use input from various stakeholders. Organizational committees include diverse representation from various levels of staff members. Survey feedback is compiled into reports to provide useful information, and performance plans are developed and implemented in a timely manner.

    The organization is developing and implementing a comprehensive, coordinated community integration plan. The justification for this major change is complete and based on stakeholder input, relevant variables and indicators. Working closely with corporate partners who are experts in systems change, the organization has identified the current and future states. Several areas are being piloted in order to ensure that best practices are implemented. Time frames appear realistic, and there is a significant emphasis on stakeholder buy-in, recognized as the critical element for success.

    Ability Beyond Disability addresses accessibility throughout its strategic plan. Barriers to accessibility are comprehensively addressed, including: breaking down environmental, attitudinal, and other barriers through increased community inclusion; creating a stable financial foundation for current operations and the future; reaching out to communities to develop increased supports in many areas, including the provision of hundreds of job opportunities; and generally building the infrastructure to ensure that all individuals served access their communities. Weaving the promotion of accessibility into its strategic plan is a unique way to focus attention upon this commitment and to operationalize it.

    Ability Beyond Disability enjoys a strong presence within the community and promotes visibility for persons with disabilities through its community outreach and public relations efforts. The organization advocates for, encourages, and provides a multitude of opportunities for community participation across its services.

    The organization benefits from the longevity of employment and professionalism of management personnel. Policy and procedure manuals are detailed, complete, and well-organized. It is evident that many of the staff members with Ability Beyond Disability have strong organizational skills. In most services, the case records are detailed and complete.

    The organization's building maintenance department is organized to ensure an efficient and effective system to promote well-maintained environments of care. The organization has the infrastructure and support to ensure that residences meet health and safety standards. Similarly, the transportation department ensures safe transport of the persons served and the staff members, and it is credited with reducing preventable accidents each year.

    The members of the organization's safety and health program represent diverse positions and strive to meet the leadership needs of staff members and other stakeholders. Regular reports to the leadership provide information used for planning. The organization's quality team has begun to promote consistency in safety and the reduction of any incidents. This could be an effective tool to further enhance consistency and promote continuous improvement.

    Ability Beyond Disability provides thorough training for staff members that meets the needs of the persons served. Staff members who provide support to individuals with acquired brain injuries are provided with information specific to their unique needs.

    The organization facilitates a swing shift at its nonintegrated employment site. This offers a choice for persons served to work in a quieter environment than might be available during the daytime hours or for persons whose medication or other circumstances make it a challenge to be fully awake and alert in the morning.

    The individual and group integrated work sites have numerous strengths. There are over 160 placements and numerous group supported employment sites, which are individualized and offer a wide variety of work. Jobs have been developed in many areas, including: fitness, data entry, electronic assembly, warehousing, and white collar corporate employment. Individuals employed at supermarkets have union membership and enjoy high wages and full benefits. There is an extensive use of natural supports and inclusion in the work sites. The employment specialists demonstrate excellent training skills for teaching persons served to use computers, personal data appliances, swipe cards, and other high tech equipment required for the specific job. The employment specialist modify work environments to promote success, such as marking timers to independently remind persons served when a work break is over.

    The organization uses an extensive internal and community transportation system to ensure that persons arrive at their work sites. Training is provided for crossing busy streets to get to transportation vehicles and for using door-to-door transportation. Staff members often observe at a distance the application or continued application of these skills and intervene when necessary to ensure that safe travel practices are followed.

    The organization is dedicated to promoting advocacy and self-advocacy, as evidenced through its use of the WeCAHR organization and the employment of three persons served to act as advocates for their peers. These individuals assist with self-advocacy activities, participate in legislative lobbying efforts, and provide direct training to staff members on effective and respective ways to support and interact with persons served in day services and work, in the community, and at home.

    There is a strong organizational and staff commitment to providing the extras in individuals lives that make the difference between a nice, comfortable life and a truly fulfilling life. This is evident in organizational endeavors, such as the MONEY Club, and individual activities, such as making arrangements for a family member to give a computer to another individual when purchasing a new one for one of the residents, taking a person served (unpaid) along on a family vacation to fulfill a longtime dream of visiting a particular part of the country, and purchasing a television for a person whose set had broken.

    In the home for persons with Prader-Willi, routines and structure have been established, which are critical elements for success to meet the unique needs of the residents. These routines ensure carryover of services when utilizing substitutes by development of binders that detail the proceedings of the home. This home also requires daily documentation, by shift, to ensure that the responsibilities of each shift are properly monitored and recorded. This has ensured success with the residents, who are almost at their goal weights.

    The drama group encourages individuals interested in performance and/or production to participate in a community theatre-type production. This group has been rehearsing for months, culminating in a gala production of Guys and Dolls this fall.

    The organization is committed to using technology to increase communication and training opportunities throughout its many locations. The database of persons served, computer training center, community recreation calendar, e-mail system, incident reporting procedure, and other ongoing advancements of networking result in increased organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

    The residences benefit from many positive relationships with neighbors. One neighbor keeps up with the residents' birthdays, and others have developed personal friendships.

    The Shepherd Hill residence has a MENTOR program in which volunteers are assigned to take individuals out for special activities.

    The organization consistently demonstrates its sensitivity to the needs of each person served, as evidenced by the arrangement for one individual to complete an English as a Second Language class in order to communicate more effectively. For this individual, a staff person speaking the individual's native language was brought in to help with adjustment to the new environment. Another example of this sensitivity is the organization's purchase of the family home of three siblings served by the organization in order to make the person's transition into semi-independent living as smooth as possible. An additional example is the encouragement of residents to personalize and decorate homes.

    Ability Beyond Disability maintains sensitivity to personal privacy of all residents, as demonstrated in its Woodland home, among others, which was built to include an additional private parlor where residents can entertain family or friends in a private, homey, living room environment.

    The personal and social services are dedicated to promoting choice of persons served, greater self-sufficiency, and expanded community integration. Staff members demonstrate a commitment to these principles and to providing coordinated individualized services based upon the persons' needs, preferences, and desired outcomes.

    In the following areas Ability Beyond Disability demonstrates exemplary conformance to the standards:

    The organization's efforts to develop community resources are exemplary. Ability Beyond Disability has incorporated a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization. Specific plans to involve the board of directors, the staff members, family members, and community members have resulted in the achievement of community participation as well as substantial funds for the benefit of the organization and the persons served. Strategies such as the MONEY Club, an employee-facilitated fund intended to meet unmet needs of the persons served, and Storytelling, an approach to keep the audience interested in stories describing individuals served, are just two innovative techniques to support the campaign to increase community involvement. The Adopt-a-Home Program connects community organizations and businesses with residences where the community volunteers complete maintenance activities, such as landscaping and painting, and enjoy recreational activities, such as parties and celebrations. These connections result in monetary contributions and the development of friendships and mutual appreciation.

    Ability Beyond Disability implements a unique practice of requiring interested applicants to view a video describing the challenges, opportunities and benefits of working with the persons served. The video demonstrates the professionalism and teamwork expected by the organization, the rights and responsibilities of employees, and the characteristics that employees need to be effective. Although simple, this has been an effective tool to ensure that only individuals who believe that they have what it takes to meet the qualifications to be an employee of the organization complete the applicant process.

    On balance, Ability Beyond Disability demonstrates the commitment and ability to conform to the CARF standards. The supports provided by the administrative office vendors allow the service staff to concentrate on what it does best, respond to the needs of the persons served. With this continued relationship, the organization will likely continue to benefit from a positive reputation in the community and the achievement of desirable outcomes. The organization appears to have a solid foundation to overcome most of today's obstacles and the foresight to identify and overcome future obstacles.

    Ability Beyond Disability has been awarded a Three-Year Accreditation. The organization is encouraged to use the CARF standards throughout the tenure of its accreditation to ensure consistent conformance to the standards.





Meet Celeste “Celeste works at a local company where she helps with company mailings. She interacts with her coworkers and has made a number of friends. This job means more than a paycheck to Celeste; it has given her a great sense of pride and has really boosted her confidence.”