• Enrollment
• Eligibility
• Community Living
• Adult Day Training
• Community Employment
• Special Stars
• How To Apply

Enrollment

Referrals are accepted from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (formerly the Department of Children & Families), Highlands County School Board, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, individuals and families.

Individuals requesting services that are not receiving services from any of the above funding sources will be informed of, and referred to the appropriate agency for services and funding. Individuals who are not eligible for funding will be informed of a private pay option.

Eligibility

General eligibility requirements include the diagnosis of a developmental disability, such as mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, or spina bifida. Other requirements are:

• Age (see each service for age eligibility).
• Medical conditions not requiring extensive nursing care.
• Behavioral and/or psychiatric conditions that are not a threat to self and others, or extensive property damage.
• Ambulatory or mobile with aides.
• Desire to participate.

Community Living

Group Homes provide a home-like living situation for individuals to ensure safe and appropriate living. Supervision is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Training is provided based upon each individual’s needs and may include the areas of daily living, self-care, socialization, safety, communication, and recreation while promoting community integration. Activities such as church, movies, and shopping are normal to life in the group homes. Emphasis is placed upon assisting the individuals in enhancing their level of functioning in everyday situations. Residents participate in the daily functions of each home, such as cooking and doing laundry. Transportation is provided to needed services and recreational activities.

Eligibility requirements: 18 years of age and over and requirements listed above.

Supported Living provides support and training through a Supported Living Coach. The coach will assist individuals in developing a budget and in locating, evaluating, and securing an apartment or house of their choice, within the budget. Once a home is secured and the resident is moved in, the coach will continue to visit with the individual, helping him/her take care of their home, make new friends, pay bills, and make sure the experience of being more independent is safe and enjoyable. The coach is available on a daily basis, if needed, and networks with other service providers, such as companion and homemaker services, to ensure the individual’s needs are met. In addition, a coach is available 24 hours a day, should emergencies arise.

Eligibility requirements: 18 years of age and over and requirements listed above.

Respite provides short term, supportive care and supervision to an individual when the primary caregiver is unable to perform these duties due to a planned brief absence, an emergency absence, or when the caregiver is available but unable to care for or supervise the individual for a brief period. Services are provided in the individual’s home, family home, or foster home. Overnight respite is available only in the individual’s own home, family, or if age 18 and over, in an Arc Group Home.

Eligibility requirements as listed above.

Companion services provide non-medical care, supervision and socialization activities to individuals on a one-on-one basis. Services may be scheduled on a regular, long-term basis to meet the needs of the individual.

Eligibility requirements: 18 years of age and over and requirements listed above.

Personal Care services assist individuals with meal preparation, bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, and activities of daily living when these activities are essential to the health and welfare of the individual. The service is provided in the individual’s own home or family home or while the individual is engaged in a community activity. If provided in the family home, the service is provided to assist the parent or primary caregiver of children, and the parent or caregiver must be present for the provision of service.

Eligibility requirements as listed above.

Homemaker services assist individuals with general household activities such as meal preparation, laundry, vacuuming, and routine household cleaning when the person who usually handles these tasks is unable to perform these activities. The intent is to ensure that the individual’s home remains clean, safe, and sanitary.

Eligibility requirement is 18 years of age and over.

Adult Day Training

Adult Day Training (ADT) services support the participation of individuals in daily, valued routines of the community. ADT services stress training in the activities of daily living, self-advocacy, adaptive and social skills. ADT is provided Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 3 PM. Training is provided on a one-on-one basis and in small groups. A variety of classes are offered such as academic, computer, cooking, hygiene and grooming, safety, sewing, and many others.

Instructors from South Florida Community College also provide Adult Basic Education classes on site. Activities in the community are also offered. These include trips to the library, health clubs, and volunteer opportunities at nursing homes and animal shelters.

For those who are interested, vocational training is offered in work-like settings. Ridge Area Arc provides ADT services at two sites: The Training Center and the Arc’s Resale Store.

The Arc’s Training Center has a vocational training component known as Ridge Industries and Mobile Lawn Crew. Individuals train to improve skills, behaviors, productivity, and work quality. Individuals receive pay based on their productivity.

Eligibility requirements: 16 years of age and over and requirements listed above.

Community Employment

The Community Employment Director and Employment Services Specialists are dedicated to providing the best possible assistance for qualified individuals seeking employment in the community. Services provided are job placement, work experience opportunities, employability skills training, job coaching, and follow along service, as needed.

Referrals for employment services are received from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the school system and Ridge Area Arc. All go through a screening process to determine their interests, skills and abilities and match those to the job most suited to them. This comprehensive service is offered to employees by providing placement and training services meeting entry level and other personnel requirements. This service is provided at no cost to the employer or the employee.

Ridge Area Arc is the liaison for the National Disability Mentoring Day, held each October, thanks to the hard work of Ridge Area Arc’s Director of Employment and other Arc staff members. The Able Trust, Florida Governor’s Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities, recently awarded Highlands County the Top Community Liaison in a Small-sized Market in 2006. Highlands County topped the list with 70 mentees and 70 mentors.

Disability Mentoring Day promotes career development through hands-on career exploration, job shadowing, and employment opportunities. Being a mentor provides an opportunity to prescreen and observe potential employee skills and abilities. Being a mentor also provides education, exposure, and experience to qualified job seekers and students who may never have had the opportunity.

Eligibility requirements: 16 years of age and over and requirements listed above.