Community Support

Local Outings for Individuals with Disabilities

Individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities can find it difficult to socialize with peers and be connected to their community.   SOAR is a community-based program aimed at giving individuals served the life skills and social skills they need to become independent members of their community. 

SOAR is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. The majority of the day is spent out in the community volunteering, exercising, participating in educational activities, and exploring Springfield as a whole.  Activities and environments are designed to foster the acquisition of skills, building positive social behavior and interpersonal competence, greater independence, and personal choice (as outlined in the State DD Waiver manual). Staff document on each client throughout the day, focusing on their individual goals. 

To qualify for the SOAR program, Individuals must function independently in a 1:6 ratio. While in the community, individuals are in line of site. They eat, drink, use the toilet, and take meds independently. Elopement, aggressive behavior of any kind, or other practices that compromise the safety of individuals in the program are strictly prohibited. 

Equipped for Community Engagement

Our goal with Community Integration is to equip people with the skills and knowledge to engage in their community. This service is provided on an individual basis (1:1) or in a group setting (1:4) and occurs in a variety of locations during various times throughout the week.

Through 1:1 staff coaching, individuals work on specific skills based on their goals. We tailor the program to meet the needs of each individual to help them increase their independence at home or in the community.

Whether in a group or individual setting, staff teach individuals how to develop relationships with the broader community, participate in recreational activities, and volunteer.

Remote Support systems available through Missouri’s Developmental Disability waivers provide technology that allows individuals to receive support without the presence of direct support staff. They may include sensors in the home that alert remote support staff if someone else tries to enter the home, telephones or video and web cameras for two-way communication, sensors that track an individual’s movement and health information, such as activity sensors, temperature monitors, bed or chair sensor pads, seizure monitors, etc. 

The Arc of the Ozarks provides Remote Supports (RM) on-site 7 days a week between the hours of 8:00pm-7:00am. In the event of an emergency, RM staff can leave the premises to go directly to the individual’s home to assist while continuing to monitor with the use of a cell phone. If the individual lives over 20 miles away, an emergency contact has been established to assist in emergency scenarios. The Arc partners with HEARO to provide the technology and installation. For more information regarding HEARO, please visit their website at https://hearolife.com/about.