Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Disability Action Center Northwest outlines services, veteran-directed care and accessible projects to Pullman council
Summary
Mark Leeper, executive director of Disability Action Center Northwest, presented the center’s mission, core services (peer support, advocacy, independent-living skills), veteran-directed care and local accessible projects including transportation contracts for rural riders.
Mark Leeper, executive director of Disability Action Center Northwest (DAC Northwest), told the Pullman City Council on May 13 that the nonprofit provides consumer-controlled independent-living services across a multi-county region and that the organization focuses on peer support, advocacy, information/referral and transition services.
Leeper said DAC Northwest is a cross-disability, nonresidential, grassroots organization funded in part by federal grants and that it provides five federally defined core services: personal/community advocacy, peer counseling/support, independent-living skills training, information and referral, and transition services (including helping people move out of institutions). He described program elements available in the region including a veteran-directed care program (VA-funded budgets where veterans may hire and manage their own caregivers), benefits planning, a BluePath accessibility directory and a ramp program operated with Habitat for Humanity.
Leeper told council DAC Northwest buys rural transportation services through a contract with Coast Transportation using FTA Section 5310 funds (for seniors and people with disabilities) and that the center also uses volunteer drivers and accessible vans to serve remote areas. He pointed to recent local accessibility wins—an accessible path at Tubbs Hill, an accessible kayak launch in Post Falls, an accessible community garden plot at Coppell Farms in Pullman, and accessibility assessments and outreach the center provides to local businesses via a BluePath listing and forthcoming app.
Councilors asked about services for nonverbal children and people in group homes; Leeper said the center functions as a generalist and navigator, connecting people to specialized services (e.g., assistive technology, university disability centers and vocational rehabilitation) and providing advocacy to ensure the individual’s voice guides decisions. Council members commended DAC Northwest’s programs and said they would follow up on accessibility review opportunities in downtown Pullman.
