CASCI, Inc. Mission

Based on successful models in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, CASCI works to match individuals with disabilities (Partners) who need and desire someone to assist them in negotiating systems and improving the quality of their services, and to provide practical assistance and freely-given companionship, with citizens (Advocates) who possess personal qualities and talents that "fit" with the personal qualities and needs of their Partner. A Coordinator assesses the need of individuals with disabilities desiring support, recruits and trains advocates, and provides support to promote long-term relationships.

CASCI community
A family serving as an Advocate for a Partner finds reciprocal caring in friendship.

CASCI volunteers
Dixie interviews a potential Advocate.

These relationships are at the core of the Citizen Advocacy movement. The movement, dating back to 1966, is founded on the beliefs that all people have gifts to bring to their communities and that people with disabilities are marginalized, devalued, and impoverished when they are isolated from relationships with community. The pattern of attitudes, beliefs and behavior toward people with disabilities is slow to change. Many people with disabilities are disconnected from community life except for some specialized services--some may have supportive families, but most have a tremendous need for relationships with people who are not paid to be there. It is these kinds of relationships which give people emotional and practical support, encourage them to participate in a variety of activities, and enable all to recognize and value these gifts.

CASCI people

The mission of Citizen Advocacy of South-Central Indiana, Inc. (CASCI) is founded on the following beliefs:

People with disabilities are human beings of intrinsic and unconditional value that should be accorded the benefits, entitlements and responsibilities of citizenship.
As members of a community, we are all interdependent. We can and should take personal responsibility to address injustices and meet the needs of our most socially isolated citizens.
Formal human services cannot meet all human needs; however; freely given personal relationships can fulfill the need for security, friendships, companionship, and sharing.
Governments, schools, medical professionals, provider agencies, and other public and professional entities are more likely to maintain quality services with the alert awareness offered by citizen advocates acting with and on the behalf of persons with disabilities.

In carrying out its organizational activities, CASCI adheres to the following six principles:

Advocate Independence - The Advocate is supported by, but independent of, CASCI. The Advocate must be independent of agencies that provide services for the Partner, as well as independent of the Partner’s family.
Loyalty to Partners - The Advocate represents the rights and interests of the Partner, including times when the Partner’s interests may not be those of the Partner’s service providers and/or family members.
Program Independence - The administrative structures and funding sources of the organization must be free from conflicts of interest that could interfere with the development of effective citizen advocacy relationships.
Clarity of Staff Function - The contracted or employed staff of CASCI supports, but neither supplants nor directs, relationships between Advocates and Partners. The staff’s role is to find and support Advocates, not to be advocates themselves.
Diversity of Needs and Roles - CASCI supports Partners with varying degrees of social needs and different levels of disability. The organization supports long term, one-to-one relationships between the volunteer Advocate and Partner while recognizing the possible need for more than one Advocate per Partner based on the changing circumstances of the Partner.
Positive Imagery - CASCI strives to be a model in presenting positive images of and interactions with people with disabilities. Persons representing the organization will consciously strive to avoid language and images that suggest negative roles or stereotypes.

CASCI, Inc. History

In 1998 the Service Planning by Assessing Needs and Measuring Capacity for Monroe County report noted individuals with disabilities face a number of challenges and barriers, including a lack of information on services, limited access to services that promote independence, and negative attitudes of some members of the public toward people with disabilities. In addressing these concerns the SPAN-MC called for increased coordination to expand options for independent living, public awareness efforts, increased advocacy efforts, opportunities for individuals with disabilities and those without disabilities to work together, and the development of stronger peer support mechanisms.

Responding to this call, several community organizations undertook a collaborative effort to determine how to meet these needs. Representatives of Self-advocates of Monroe County (SAMC); Options; Stone Belt Arc; Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living (SICIL); and Abilities Unlimited, Inc., came together in the Fall of 1999 to seek the means to overcome the lack of advocacy for people with disabilities in Bloomington and Monroe County.

This working group spent several months in research, study, and discussion, laying the foundation for the establishment of a Citizen Advocacy program in our community. In 2001, a grant from the Governor's Planning Council for Persons with Disabilities was obtained, and the organization began the process of creating a new program to serve a unique role in our community. CASCI was awarded a renewal of this grant for one more year.