Much-Needed Resource Arrives in Newport to Assist People with Disabilities

Center for Independent Living of Central PA Expands to Further Serve Rural Residents

(Newport, Pa.) — The Center for Independent Living of Central PA (CILCP), an organization that has been serving the needs of people with disabilities for over 20 years, will begin offering specific services in its Newport office on June 29th.  Located in the old Newport Hotel, at 2 North Second Street, Suite 100, the new office will provide people with disabilities and senior citizens residing in Perry, Juniata and Mifflin counties essential programs and services to ensure independent lifestyles.

Services for independent living; advocacy; peer counseling; information and referrals; community integration; support coordination; as well as Living Well With A Disability will be available. Through Living Well With A Disability, a free lifestyle survey is conducted to determine a person’s needs as well as their interests, goals and dreams. People interested in these services can meet with specialists at the Newport office during business hours or by appointment. Surveys can also be scheduled to take place in the person’s home.
Overseeing the new office, its staff and integration into the community will be the Rev. Nancy Firestone. As a dedicated member of the community who is living with a disability, Rev. Firestone has years of experience in advocating for people with disabilities and managing assistance programs. She will perform community outreach to acclimate the community to the first-of-its-kind resource. Among these efforts, Rev. Firestone will give presentations to educate residents and businesses about CILCP’s services and the needs of people with disabilities. She will also work with surrounding businesses to support accessibility at their establishments. 

“Although CILCP has always offered services to people with disabilities in Perry County, having an office here will make it possible to reach more people. As a person with a disability, I know how important the role of advocacy is to address the barriers people with disabilities face and why we must educate people without disabilities as to why it is vital to support accessibility and sensitivity to people with disabilities,” states Rev. Firestone.

From the feedback so far from residents, it seems as though this approach is what the community wants. Rev. Firestone adds, “We even heard from one resident who stated that ‘this is what we’ve been praying for.”
In August, the office will also offer personal assistance and consumer employer services, as well as a fully-accessible fitness center with specialized equipment designed to meet the needs of both senior citizens and people with disabilities.

Heidi Koch, a local resident, is one of the many people excited about a new neighbor in Newport. A busy community leader involved in various organizations, such as Newport’s Lions’ Club and Senior Citizens Center, Ms. Koch is the proud mother of a son, Matthew, who is living with multiple disabilities. Matthew is legally blind and has a learning disability. Throughout the years, Ms. Koch has been frustrated with the lack of services for people with disabilities in the rural areas of Perry, Juniata, and Mifflin counties.
“When I found out about CILCP opening another office here to assist people with disabilities, I was very excited about the new opportunities and services. We have many needs here, from transportation and employment, to recreation and exercise. People know what they need, but don’t know where to go or how to go about getting it. With CILCP coming in, now they will.”

 Services at the new office will begin June 29th. The office will be open Monday through Friday; from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours are subject to change depending on demand.

CILCP also has a Camp Hill office location, which has an accessible fitness center. For general questions about the Newport office contact 1-800-323-6060 and for questions about CILCP’s services, including Living Well With A Disability, call 1-877-TO-LIV-WELL (1-877-865-4893) or visit www.cilcp.org.
About Center for Independent Living of Central PA

For over 20 years, CILCP has been serving people with all types of disabilities who live in Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin and Juniata counties. It is a consumer controlled, cross disability organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities to achieve and maintain independent life styles. From achieving a small task to accomplishing a life-changing goal, CILCP is helping people with disabilities exceed their lifestyle expectations through one point of contact.