Caledonia Argus

'I CAN" helps people with special needs

Posted: 9/10/02

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

There was a time when people with special needs had little control over their own lives. At home or in institutional settings, people with disabilities were simply not given choices.

Today, attitudes have changed. People with special needs are being given the opportunity to live on their own, and make their own decisions. And with the new Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS), the choices are greater than ever before.

CDCS allows a special-needs individuals to use waiver funds, those funds provided by the state to purchase support services, to hire whomever they choose as a provider of those services, within certain parameters.

It was the new CDCS availability that led Danielle Burg of Caledonia to establish ìI CAN,î which stands for Independent Choices, Assistance if Needed. Burg said I CAN exists to ìadvocate and promote independence and choice-making for people with special needs.î

For 15 years, Burg worked for ABLE, an agency that provides a variety of support services to help people with disabilities live independently. When she decided to establish a service on her own, her ABLE clients went with her.

ìI provide the same services I did when I was employed,î said Burg. ìPersonal support, community integration, and assistance with finances and social skills.î She sees I CAN as providing another choice to people with special needs.

Although there is no license required to provide services, there are still requirements that need to be met, explained Burg. Service providers must be CPR certified and go through background checks.

But it isnít simply a matter of the provider receiving funds directly from the individual. Each individual who receives services is assigned a case manager from Houston County Human Services. The county contracts with PossAbilities of Rochester, the employer of record. PossAbilities issues paychecks, handles payroll deductions, carries workers comp and liability insurance, and generally acts as a fiscal agent.

Burg currently has seven employees, but is not looking for growth or to increase the number of clients she has. She is merely looking to get the word out that services are available.

ìAnyone on a waiver can apply for services,î she said. ìI donít see myself as a competitor, Iím just giving them a choice of providers.î Burg said that with no overhead, clients get more staff time for their money. She estimated that her services cost about a third less than those of a traditional provider.

Burgís philosophy is to give her clients as much freedom as possible.

ìPeople can decide for themselves what they want. You have to listen to what they want, you have to try for it. You need to look at the health and safety issues, and you always get input from the guardian or conservator, but you want them to be happy.î

In addition to her work as director of I CAN, Burg still volunteers as an advisor of People First, a self-advocacy group.

Beth Wilms, director of Houston County human services, said that consumer directed community supports is tailored to the needs of the consumer who is receiving services. Some families find that they can purchase needed services more cost-effectively with CDCS, while others prefer going through the established channels.

ìIt (CDCS) does offer a choice,î she said.

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