Ozark Independent Living (OIL) is a non-profit organization serving Texas, Wright, Shannon, Howell, Douglas, Oregon and Ozark counties since 1996. It is one of Missouri’s 22 Centers for Independent Living and has two departments, Consumer Directed Services (CDS) and Independent Living Services (ILS). Both programs help individuals maintain independence.
“OIL’s CDS Department is a Medicaid-based program designed so that adults with disabilities can have control over their own care, a basic tenet of the Independent Living movement. Our ILS Department is a resource center for anyone with a disability, regardless of age or income,” said OIL Marketing/Independent Living Specialist Terry Hampton.
In serving the Disability Community, OIL has five core mandated services: Information and Referral to assist in exercising informed choices, Life Skills Training to empower individuals to make and act on their own choices, Advocacy to encourage individuals with disabilities to speak up, Peer Support for those with disabilities to share and learn from each other and Transitioning into the community from high school or out of a nursing home.