Lane Independent Living Alliance (LILA) offers five (5) core services to people with disabilities. These core services are essential to the efforts of people with disabilities to live independently, and include:
- Information and Referral (I & R): LILA maintains extensive resource information on numerous disability related topics that might include housing, transportation, legislation, laws, adaptive equipment, employment opportunities, support groups, and lists of contacts in other service organizations and agencies.
- IL Skills Training: LILA provides training and instruction to assist individuals to gain skills, such as using transportation systems, managing budgets, using adaptive equipment, making good decisions, job skills, grooming, and many other subjects.
- Peer Counseling: LILA offers opportunities for persons with disabilities to meet with other persons who experience disabilities, with the goal of allowing these “peers” to explore options, problem solve situations, discuss how to make adjustments, and provide support about the challenges of living with a disability.
- Advocacy: LILA provides two types of advocacy. We assist persons with disabilities to obtain the necessary support services and accommodations from other agencies and individuals in the community. This is called individual advocacy. In this process, consumers learn self-advocacy. We also work with communities and organizations to initiate changes within communities, agencies, businesses, government entities, etc. to promote activities which will create a more accessible and inclusive environment for persons with disabilities to live more independently. This is what is known as systems advocacy.
- Transition to Independent Living: LILA assists individuals with disabilities, via skills training, mentoring, and help gaining needed support, to:
- transition from nursing homes or foster homes into the community,
- remain in the community rather than be institutionalized, and
- transition from secondary education to post-secondary life.