Access 2 Independence is a Center for Independent Living, which is a non-profit, non-residential community-based organization run by and for people with disabilities.
Access 2 Independence is a consumer controlled organization and provides direct support services in the four core areas of advocacy, information and referral, peer counseling, and independent skills training. Our mission is to empower individuals with disabilities to advocate for themselves in order to achieve greater independence and integrated community participation.
We serve Benton, Cedar, Henry, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Washington counties.
Our core services are:
Individual and Systems Advocacy: We will advocate for you as a member of the community. We can help you understand your civil rights and responsibilities when dealing with the goevrment,your employer, or other service providers, and we can help you stand up for those rights if you feel you are being treated unfairly.
Independent Living Skills: We can help you learn skills to increase and maintain your independence. We want to help you learn how to do what you want to do;bring us to your goals and we’ll help you put together a plan to reach them.
Information and Referral: Provide information about community resources that can help people accomplish their personal goals. Some examples are: Acquiring and learning to use assistive technology, understanding and signing up for Medicare,Medicaid,Medicaid waivers, and Social Security.finding accessible housing.
Peer Counseling: Over half our employees mus have some type of disability. As you work to become more independent yourself, we can share with you our own experiences having a disability,encountering and overcoming barriers to our independence, and becoming advocates for ourselves and for others.
