By David Mansfield

Tuolumne County’s disabled citizens have a friend in DRAIL.

Many more residents, seniors in particular, could benefit from services provided by the Disability Resource Agency for Independent Living – if they only knew that the nonprofit organization exists.

Working from an office at 67 Linoberg Street in Sonora, a staff of five provides the disabled with a wide range of services, including help with taxes, prescription assistance, procuring benefits, dealing with government bureaucracies, in-home computer training, and when clients are ready, returning to work.

“We help people of all ages, with any disability, whether physical, mental or emotional,” says Barry Smith, director of services for the office, formerly called the Mother Lode Independent Living Center. “Mainly, we give people the resources to help themselves.”

The need for such resources is evident. Census figures show that 36 percent of Tuolumne County residents 65 and older, for example, have a disability. With disabilities more common among older adults, DRAIL plays an important role in linking seniors with services and equipment that make it easier to live independently, Smith says.

The agency, which also has offices in Stockton and Modesto, serves seven counties with a budget of $1.2 million, most from federal and state grants. The Sonora office serves Tuolumne, Mariposa, Calaveras, Amador and Alpine counties. Its staff helps about 240 consumers annually and provides information to about 200 callers a month, linking them to other key agencies and services in the region, according to Smith.

Sonoran Nancy Dover, 58, discovered the agency after suffering an on-the-job back injury. She was working as a care provider for seniors and people with disabilities, and hurt her back while helping lift a client.

“I was at my wit’s end,” says Dover, who found DRAIL in the phonebook and connected with center coordinator Kristy Gillen. Since that call, its staff has helped her obtain heart care service, complete tax forms and even find volunteers to help with yard work.

“They’re really supportive,” she says. “When I have been down and been in pain, I’ve called Kristy and they are always there for me.”

One of the organization’s main jobs is linking disabled consumers to needed services, such as care providers, housing and disability-related services. DRAIL can also make calls for those having trouble navigating bureaucracies, and it helps disabled clients get the benefits to which they are entitled.   It also helps people being denied housing, or use of a service animal such as a seeing-eye dog.

The Sonora office features a library “full of information on every type of disability there is,” Smith says. It also offers free access to a computer equipped with multiple types of mouse, screen magnification, and other features.

For people returning to work after living on disability or Social Security, DRAIL has an advisor who can help determine how their benefits will be affected.

It can also provide grants of up to $4,000 for those moving from a long-term care facility, rehabilitation hospital, or psychiatric facility, to a private home or other community living setting. The cash can cover moving expenses, first month’s rent, physical therapy, household items and technological devices aimed at making the transition smoother. Although the grants require time and coordination between DRAIL and the care providers, Gillen is enthusiastic and encourages people to look into them.

Particularly popular with disabled Tuolumne County seniors is DRAIL’s Assistive Technology program, which provides information, referral, and funding for items ranging from eyeglasses and hearing aids to scooter lifts and wheelchair ramps – even advanced voice-activated computer programs.

DRAIL receives no grant state or federal funding for this program, and relies on private donations, fundraisers and community grants. The agency also has a loan program:  individuals donate assistive technology items which are then loaned to those who need them.

“We also do a lot of in-home computer training, helping people set up email accounts and learn how to use the computer and the Internet,” Smith says. “For those living in relative isolation, as many seniors here do, it can make a huge difference in their social life.”

Services and assistive technology items are provided free of charge to those with monthly incomes of $2,500 or less, Smith says. The agency also collaborates with the Lions and Kiwanis clubs, and other community agencies, on projects for those with special needs.

Understandably, the disabled find that day-to-day activities aren’t as easy as they once were. But, says Kristy Gillen, help is always available.

“We try to assist as much as we can in finding resources that can make life easier,” Gillen says. “We can justify doing just about anything if we can increase independence.”

Disability Resource Agency for Independent Living

67 Linoberg Street, Suite A, Sonora

Phone: (209) 532-0963

Website: www.drail.org

© 2008, Friends and Neighbors Magazine