The beginnings were humble and the offices still are, but the Kaua’i Center for Independent Living has made great strides, literally and figuratively, in helping Kauaians with disabilities live full lives.
From a little office tucked behind Lihu’e United Church Parish Hall off Haleko Road, the center that has made an impact on the lives of Kaua’i people with disabilities is celebrating 20 years of service this month.
And while the stories aren’t as dramatic as consumers forsaking wheelchairs to hit the dance floors, they do approach those levels.
One of the newer programs, explained KCIL coordinator Humberto Blanco, is a wellness regime which has resulted in consumers (what the center calls its customers or clients) being able to use their arms to lift themselves out of wheelchairs when they couldn’t accomplish that before.
As most of the center’s creative initiatives have, the wellness idea emerged from the minds of the five-person staff. The fitness and wellness idea came as a result of staff brainstorming about types of things that could be done to help minimize some of the physical impacts of the disabilities the consumers suffer from, Blanco said.
Nutrition, physical fitness, socialization, learning about other health ideas to enhance consumer fitness and well being, looking at things that make people feel vibrant and alive, discussions with doctors, physical therapists, the consumers and others, all combined to eventually develop the wellness initiative that is being considered for statewide (Hawai’i Centers for Independent Living) implementation, he said.
Yoga, physical therapy, strategies for quieting the mind, information from guest speakers, hands-on fitness training with instructors in stretching and weight-bearing exercises, and other segments of the program have led to consumers showing “dramatic increases in flexibility” among the consumers, Blanco said.
The hands-on portion of the program takes place in the adjacent church hall.
Five local and national philanthropic organizations provide funds for the wellness program, and some of them have suggested the KCIL program go statewide, he continued.
Grants are being written to continue the wellness program, and to expand it statewide. What started as a three-month pilot yielded such promising consumer results that it has become a full-year initiative.
Blanco isn’t satisfied, though. He said he wants more participation in the wellness program, mainly because he has seen the results in current participants.
The wellness initiative is just one of the innovative programs KCIL has begun under Blanco’s leadership. The center also trains personal care attendants, working with the state Department of Human Services, for those who need some help at home or in other daily life routines.
KCIL also has several other functions, including obtaining assistive devices for those with needs, providing computer training, assisting disabled consumers in finding suitable housing and gaining pre-employment skills, and acting as a referral service for consumers needing assistance from other agencies, he said.
Another program, one that generates income and helps the self-sufficiency agency move toward economic self-sufficiency, is a transportation service offered to Kaua’i visitors with disabilities.
The two-year-old program, which is awaiting the arrival of a new accessible van, provides island tours and transportation to and from hotels and Lihu’e Airport for Kaua’i visitors with disabilities.
The Internet and computer technology have opened doors to homebound Kauaians. KCIL encourages its roughly 80 consumers to use the technology as much as physically and financially possible, to assist their economic well-being as well as for lifestyle enhancement, education, communication with the outside world, and other benefits, Blanco said.
A primary focus of the center is to explore, refine and deliver to consumers the best ways to allow folks with disabilities to live independently if they are at all able and willing to do so.
KCIL’s mission is to ensure the rights of people with disabilities to live independently and fully integrated in the community, outside of institutional settings so that they may have fuller, happier and more productive lives.
In addition to the services discussed here, KCIL also offers peer counseling, benefits counseling, an outreach service, public education, elderly blind services, consulting, and more.
Funding comes from a mix of government, foundation and corporate grants, individual contributions, and fees collected for services. The five KCIL staff members, including Blanco, are all either half- or three-quarter time employees.
Estimates are that about 110,000 people in Hawai’i have some form of disability, and 33,000 face severe limitations on one or more major life activity.
Additional information about KCIL is available at 245-4034.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
