Liberty is a not-for-profit agency that began as a parent-run, advocacy organization over 50 years ago. We have been operating programs for citizens with mental retardation and other disabilities since 1969. Like many agencies supporting people with disabilities, Liberty has changed and matured over time. Although the fundamental values that have made this organization strong remain constant, our perception of what constitutes quality services has changed considerably.

Our organization has firmly embraced the concepts of person-centered supports, choice and self-determination. In 2005 we were accredited by the Council on Quality and Leadership in Supports for People with Disabilities (CQL). In 2009, the agency was reaccredited for 4 years, the longest accreditation period granted by CQL. We feel that the personal outcome-based standards developed by CQL offer a well-defined and recognized path to providing quality supports that are truly driven by consumer choice.

Montgomery is primarily a rural county in upstate New York with a population base of approximately 50,000. Located 35 miles west of the state capital in Albany, the county is comprised of small villages and towns. The main population center is Amsterdam with approximately 20,000 residents. Liberty offers traditional day, vocational and residential programs and has made a concerted effort to incorporate best practices within the field into our daily operations. We have expanded the scope of our agency’s service system to include an Article 28 clinic providing dental and health related services to people in our own programs and other in-need populations. Our family services support programs, funded in part by Liberty Foundation, offer individuals and families an array of no cost supports that are uncommon in our field.

Below is a brief overview of Liberty’s services.

SERVICES PROVIDED BY LIBERTY
Liberty provides a lifetime range of comprehensive, professional services to over 650 children and adults with developmental disabilities (mental retardation, cerebral palsy, neurological impairments, traumatic brain injury and autism), mental illness or physical disabilities. Another 3,000 individuals received dental and health-related services through our health center, New Dimensions in Health Care, Inc.

Our organization is the largest provider of day and residential services to people with developmental disabilities in Montgomery County, New York State. Individuals in our programs are offered the opportunity to make their own life choices in a supportive environment that encourages self-determination and independence.

RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
Since 1975, Liberty has been providing high quality, community living options and flexible supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. The agency now operates 60 residential sites supporting 229 individuals. The program is tailored to meet the needs of individuals who may need assistance a few hours a week to those who require services 24 hours a day.

Individuals choose the type of home, the area and the people with whom he or she wishes to live. In contrast to homes developed a decade ago and before, any home we develop today is designed for no more than four people. Many of our supports are provided in small settings of one to four people.

Over the years Liberty has developed its capacity to support individuals who are medically frail. Services to this population include nutrition and medication administration using gastrostomy tubes, uncontrolled seizure activity management, and swallowing disorder supports. Additionally, a number of the individuals in our residential program are diagnosed with diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiac and pulmonary diseases, and cancer.

A major focus of our residential program is to provide opportunities and encouragement for individuals to become active members of their community.

Community Living options include: Individual Residential Alternative (Waiver); Supportive Living programs; and Family Care (similar to foster care).

DAY SERVICES – NON-VOCATIONAL
A full range of Day Support programs offer clinical services, training in daily living skills, pre-vocational experiences and many opportunities for community inclusion for a total of 185 people. 40 individuals receive supports through the Life Skills/OPTS program; 95 participate in Day Habilitation at the Day Support Center and other smaller locations in Amsterdam, and 90 people receive supports close to their homes in small day habilitation sites in the western part of the county, providing opportunities for increased community integration.

FAMILY SUPPORT
This program offers supports to nearly 300 individuals with disabilities and their families. The program includes in and out-of -home respite services, after-school & recess programs providing support whenever school is out of session and a summer camp experience for children & adults. A wide range of evening and weekend recreation activities are offered. Many of the services are funded in their entirety or in part by Liberty Foundation, Inc.

HEALTH CENTER (NEW DIMENSIONS IN HEALTH CARE)
Since 1996, this Article 28, Diagnostic and Treatment Center has specialized in providing medical and dental services to people who require special accommodation. Services include primary medical, podiatry, general dentistry & oral surgery. We currently serve nearly 3,000 people at our 40 Wall Street, Amsterdam, location. Visit http://www.newdimensionsinhealthcare.org for more information.

VOCATIONAL & SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT
The agency’s vocational component, Liberty Enterprises, provides supported employment and job training in the community as well as work experience manufacturing Liberty Enterprises’ own products. Liberty’s production program is unique in New York in that it generates about $6,000,000 and includes a wide array of prime manufactured products. There are a total of 299 people enrolled in the employment program; the vast majority, 225, work in supported employment settings.

STATE OF DELAWARE
Residential Services
Choices for Community Living (CCL) began providing services in Delaware in February, 2004. The agency now operates in all three counties, with 10 residential sites supporting 33 individuals. About one-half of these individuals moved from state developmental centers. At this time, the residential program focuses on people who require support 24 hours a day. At present, CCL operates 11 neighborhood homes and apartments.

Day Services
CCL operates a day program in Dover, DE, with a capacity of 15 people. This program offers a variety of individual and group experiences in physical fitness, life skills, community volunteer experience and production. CCL is committed to day program expansion, both vocational and non-vocational, and will keep all program sites small in scale to promote integration with the community-at-large. For more information about Choices for Community Living visit our website at http://www.ccldelaware.org.

View a Liberty Timeline PDF file