Services for Independent Living imporves the lives of people with disabilities

FROM THE OUTSIDE, 1401 Hathman Place looks like any other building. Yet after meeting those on the other side of the automatic front doors, it’s clear that Services for Independent Living is anything but ordinary. For 32 years — since the independent living movement began in the 1970s — Services for Independent Living has been impacting and improving the lives of people with disabilities.
Executive Director Aimee Wehmeier says the mission of this private nonprofit organization is to empower people with disabilities and maximize their independence. “We want people with disabilities to be active, productive members of the community, doing what everybody else does,” she says.
Previous to her seat in the director’s chair of Services for Independent Living, Wehmeier worked for State Farm Insurance. However, she has always held a deep passion for helping those with disabilities. She, herself, was born with muscular dystrophy and received her first wheelchair at age 4. Now she gets to share her story and provide support to many others with disabilities. “It was the perfect match to be able to do what I love, to make an impact and have it be my job,” she says.

Story of the staff

Wehmeier isn’t the only staff member with a desire to improve the lives of those with disabilities. In fact, she surrounds herself with a group of co-workers whom she praises highly for their heart and commitment to the mission. “For me, as a person with a disability, the mission of this organization is really the story of my life,” she says. “But it’s also the story of many of the staff who work here as well.” More than half of the board members and staff are people with disabilities.
With their expertise and passion for the cause, Wehmeier and her highly lauded co-workers excel in the four mandated core services: advocacy, independent living skills training, peer support and information referral. When it comes to advocacy, they provide one-on-one encouragement to consumers as well as engage in systemic advocacy. They also provide independent living training and peer support for anyone who seeks it.
“We serve all people with all disabilities of all ages,” Wehmeier says. “So it’s not just physical disabilities, not just developmental disabilities. It’s really all disabilities.”

One-on-one approach

Those wanting to learn how to live more independently can visit the organization online at silcolumbia.org or stop by the establishment. If getting around town is difficult, SIL offers accessible transportation for shuttle consumers to their destinations.
Independent Living Specialists meet one-on-one with clients to listen to their goals and help build on skills to live more independently. That independence is always emphasized — even in the approach and achievement of those goals.

“When someone comes in, we don’t tell them what they have to do or have a prescribed regimen of what they should do,” Wehmeier says. “It’s really about people telling us what they want to do. … We’ll provide the supports and services to assist them, but at the end of the day, it’s really what they want to do.”
Independent Living Specialists also keeps track of how clients are progressing toward their goals, and it leads support groups, which range anywhere from youth game nights to gatherings of peers with spinal cord injuries. There’s also an on-site Assisted Technology Demonstration Center where clients can learn about and use new technology, and a loan program allows them to take equipment home to find what fits.

“Our goal is to reach people and improve their lives,” Wehmeier says.