Mental Retardation

It is the philosophy of Cornerstone Community Services that people with mental retardation can lead meaningful lifestyles in their own community. The Agency supports Pennsylvania’s belief that:

People have the right to choose how they will live their own lives.
People should have the opportunity to develop relationships with others of their own choosing.
Everybody has the ability to contribute to his/her community in a meaningful way.
Individuals with disabilities can make decisions and truly control their lives.
All people have a right to be treated with dignity and respect.

The following mental retardation services are offered:

Home and Community Habilitation Program

MR Community Residential Services

Lifesharing Program

Workshop - Pre-Vocational Services/Transitional/Competitive Employment

HOME AND COMMUNITY HABILITATION PROGRAM (H&C)

The Home and Community Habilitation (HCH) Program provides a variety of supportive services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Individuals learn, maintain, or improve skills through a variety of everyday life activities. Involvement in this program is completely voluntary, but will require a personal commitment to participate in individual activities, group activities, and skill development.

The goals of the Home and Community Habilitation are to:

1. Enhance problem solving, coping, and decision making skills that will build self reliance at home, work, and in the community.

2. Improve communication, social, and anger management skills to increase positive interactions with others.

3. Develop the daily living skills such as medication management, financial counseling, budgeting, cooking/housekeeping skills, personal health, etc., that will assure individual safety.

MR COMMUNITY RESIDENTIAL SERVICES

Cornerstone Community Services provides a variety of community based housing alternatives and supportive services for individuals with developmental disabilities and who may also have the added challenge of a mental health diagnosis. Our goal is to help adults with developmental disabilities live as independently as possible in the community and have maximum choice and control over their lives.

Our programs provide safe, well supervised environments where the support needs of each consumer are best served. Admission to the program is voluntary and requires commitment to actively participate with the activities of daily living and skill development.

LIFESHARING

Lifesharing refers to the placement of one or two unrelated, special needs individuals who may have mild to profound developmental disabilities, psychiatric disorders, behavior problems, speech, vision, or hearing impairments, with families in the community. Lifesharing is founded on the premise that enduring, permanent relationships are crucial to an individual’s growth, development, and overall quality of life.

The best possible environment for physical, intellectual, social, and personality development is in a family setting where the functions of a healthy family system are in place and operating to an optimal degree. The security of a natural home will provide an individual with the needed support for developing skills in areas such as friendships, family, work, and community.

PRE-VOCATIONAL SERVICES/TRANSITIONAL/COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT (WORKSHOP)

Each county has a workshop that provides meaningful vocational and rehabilitation services for the mentally and physically challenged adult community. Consumers have the opportunity to make choices and realize their goals and accomplishments. This includes both full-time and part-time workers. Consumers enjoy a productive work environment and each person earns their own paycheck! Many consumers move on to employment in the community.

We offer a variety of rehabilitative and vocational training services that are tailored to each person’s abilities and needs. The workshop also offers community employment with job coaching services. Additional vocational services include competitive job development, vocational counseling, and personal and work adjustment training.