Access II Independent Living Center in Gallatin will soon be moving into the Gallatin Industrial Park located on Highway 6, according to Heather Swymeler, executive director.
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Swymeler said the brick building, which formerly housed 2B Enterprises and Premium Standard Farms offices, was purchased for $375,000 with the official paperwork completed on July 15. The center was able to pay the entire amount out of savings from a building fund which had been set aside for the past eight years.
The move is prompted by the need for additional space.
"We’ve finally outgrown this building," Swymeler said.
Access II has been in the building at 611 West Johnson Street since 2002. Previously a nursing home, the building was being leased from Daviess County.
Access II is just one of 22 centers in the state of Missouri. Some funding for the center is obtained in a grant through the Missouri Department of Vocational Rehabilitation; however, the center receives minimal state funding, Swymeler said, and gets most of its money from fee-for-service programs. For example, the Consumer Directed Services (CDS) program allows consumers to hire and train an attendant for personal care in their own homes. CDS is a mainstay for Access II, Swymeler said.
"We believe this is a very positive move for us as we grow and develop," she said. "We hope to offer more services to the community and create more jobs."
There are 11 employees with Access II along with several volunteers.
Access II Independent Living Center was incorporated on July 13, 1995. It serves individuals with disabilities in eight counties in northern Missouri, which include: Caldwell, Carroll, Daviess, Grundy, Harrison, Livingston, Mercer and Ray Counties. All of its services are free of charge to the consumer.
Those services include: Consumer Directed Services Program (CDS); Internet Access and Resource Library; Transportation; Child Advocacy; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) training; Low Vision Center; Durable Medical Equipment Loan Program; Telecommunications Access Program TAP; Community Education; Legislative Alert, State and National; Ramps/Home Modification; Benefits Planning Assistance and Life Skills Training.
The center is always pleased to receive donations and take old equipment such as walkers, shower chairs, transfer benches, commodes and wheelchairs or any disability related equipment.
If you have a disability and are in need of assistance please contact Access II ILC Inc. at (660) 663-2423 or any Independent Living Center in the State of Missouri.
Board members for the Access II Independent Living Center in Gallatin are Lisa Hostetler, Nathan Melton, William Cullen, Annie Gibson, Kimbra Mullenix, Rob Zirfas and Scott Marshall.
Access II Independent Living Center invites you to join them from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday, July 26, for lunch and activities at the Daviess County Courthouse in Gallatin in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion.
The Act guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities to access businesses, employment, transportation, state and local government programs and services and telecommunications.
Access II in Gallatin is one of 22 Independent Living Centers in Missouri. The Center provides a multitude of valuable services to people with disabilities to help them achieve and maintain their independence thereby allowing them to live at home as opposed to having an institutional setting be their only option.
This allows people with disabilities to be in a much better position that not only increases their quality of life but also helps them to more fully participate in and contribute what they can within their own communities.
Access II Independent Living Center in Gallatin received a new 12-passenger lift-equipped, narrow body cutaway mini-bus on July 15.
The total cost of the van was $43,587. A capital assistance grant provided 80% federal funding. Access II was required to contribute 20% of the total cost, or $8,717.40.
Access II has been providing transportation to people with disabilities and older adults since May 1996. Consumers use the van for medical, recreational and educational needs, shopping, etc. Access II uses the van to transport staff and consumers to events and activities throughout the state.
Application for the van was made to the 2008 Federal Transit Administration, 49 U.S.C., Section 5310 Capital Assistance Program for Elderly and Persons with Disabilities.
Pictured, left to right, are Access II staff Amanda Huffman, Heather Swymeler, Vicki Tolen, Staci Hamilton, Georgia Jackson and Deanna Brown. [Staff Photo/TLH]