Ari Goodman, Nederland. The Center for People With Disabilities (CPWD) is committed to providing access to services for rural and mountain communities. Close-knit communities, such as Nederland, Rollinsville and Allenspark, need services that will directly support Independent Living for individuals with disabilities.
For the past six months, CPWD’s Independent Living Advisor Ari Goodman has been working and building relationships in these mountain communities. Ari lives in Nederland, and understands the unique needs and qualities of mountain communities.
As a Center for Independent Living, CPWD believes in empowering people with disabilities to make their own choices for care and services to support independent living. To enable people in mountain regions to increase independence in their own homes and communities without having to always travel “down the hill,” CPWD and Ari are committed to working closely with other local organizations. Our goal is to provide advocacy, information & referral, peer support, and independent living skills training services to support peoples’ independent living goals.
CPWD is currently hosting a weekly Peer Support Group in Nederland on Thursday afternoons at the Public Library. Peer Support is critical to successful independent living. The experience of engaging and supporting each other, sharing experiences and encouragement, has been shown to be more effective than clinical or medical advice. Sharing personal experiences creates a sense of belonging and community, and empowers people with disabilities with the courage and confidence to overcome challenges.
In addition to Peer Support, CPWD offers information & referral to all people with any disability and their families. We aim to be a go to resource for citizens and community partners to support the health of the entire community as it relates to disabilities and access to services. Areas where we may be able to provide information, assistance, answer questions or offer or referrals include: disability rights and the ADA, benefits including SSI/SSDI, housing issues, transportation, counseling, home health services, and many other disability related issues.
To find out more, visit our website at www.cpwd.org or call our Mountain Independent Living Advisor Ari at (720)-507-2969.
(Originally published in the October 31, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
