Services for people with disabilities available in Morgan County
Mar 04, 2024 12:14PM ● By Linda Petersen
Roads to Independence will hold a resource fair in Morgan on March 16. Courtesy image
MORGAN — At the invitation of City Councilmember David Alexander, representatives of Roads to Independence shared what the organization does at the Feb. 13 Morgan City Council meeting.
“There are people that we know that could use the services that are available,” said Alexander who has been involved with the nonprofit organization for more than 10 years and is currently co-chair of its board of directors. Roads to Independence representative Kellie Spencer then gave an overview of the organization and its services.
The organization, which has more than 300 clients and many more who avail themselves of the organization’s loan bank for medical equipment, serves people with disabilities in Morgan, Davis, and Weber Counties.
“We’re trying to do a little bit more in Morgan so that’s why we were excited to be here tonight to talk to all of you,” Spencer said. “We promote independence with anyone living with a disability,” along with providing support for their family members.
The core services provided by Roads to Independence include Information and referral, independent living skills training, peer support, advocacy, and transition, including nursing home transition, youth transition, and diversion. The organization also offers a recreational program.
“This is a huge piece that we do at our center [in Ogden], and it offers people with disabilities who unfortunately have more isolated and secluded lives because of their limitations in the community, a chance to come out and do activities that are adapted to what they can do physically or mentally,” Spencer said.
Roads to Independence provides assistive technology such as phones and other devices.
“A lot of that is just very, very expensive, so it's a really good service that we provide and we are happy to help whoever we can,” Spencer said.
The organization also and also offers traumatic brain injury services. Another program, the New Choices Waiver Program, is designed to serve individuals who are residing in a long-term care facility with assistance to move into integrated community-based settings if they wish to do so and if their needs can be safely met in the setting that they have chosen.
One program that may appeal to some Morgan County residents is AgrAbility which is designed to help farmers, ranchers, and their family members remain in agriculture when facing limitations due to aging, disease, injury, illness, or other disability.
Spencer is already working with Morgan High School to provide services and training to students with disabilities.
“The goal is to get our youth that have disabilities more prepared to be able to adapt into the community and feel more independence but also have more job experience that they can retain employment and hopefully retain some independence with that employment,” she said.
Roads to Independence will hold a resource fair on March 16 from 10 am. to 2 p.m. at Morgan High School. λ
