6 minute read
Sponsor Spotlight: LifeCourseConnect
A Place to Learn, Plan, and Schedule with the Focus on You!
“It’s wonderful to have a community that speaks my language and has tools that keep us all on the same page!” - Lexi Westerfield.
Using LifeCourseConnect has opened many doors for Lexi Westerfield. As a blind and autistic selfadvocate who is also a wheelchair user, Lexi works with The Arc of Indiana, Self-Advocates of Indiana, and as a LifeCourse Ambassador with Charting the LifeCourse. Lexi has to not only manage these various roles but also her day-to-day interests, plans and goals She found that LifeCourseConnect was just the program she needed to organize her schedule, plans, and ideas.
What is LifeCourseConnect?
Available to people on the FSW or CIH waivers as well as a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) service in Indiana, LifeCourseConnect (LCC) is a person-centered planning program that puts YOU in the driver’s seat LCC gives participants access to two new tools, LifeCourseOnline and Quillo Connect where members create a vision for the life they want and build a plan to get started. Both are available on a smartphone, tablet, and/or desktop
LifeCourseOnline (LCO) is a digital space to plan, connect, and take action on the goals you set for
yourself or your family. LCO helps users answer questions about what they want for their future, invite others to join, coordinate schedules, create and track goals, and more, all in a secure online space. Built around the Charting the LifeCourse framework, LCO users are able to:
• Map out their vision for a good life
• Think about what they want for their life - and what they don’t want
• Invite a support team to join them in their day-to-day as well as long-term planning
• Update and share a calendar with events linked to goals and support people, as needed
• Make their person-centered plan dynamic and able to be updated throughout the year
• and so much more!
For those moments in between, there is Quillo Connect, using short videos to share information, resources, ideas, connection, and inspiration with users Viewers can learn more about selfadvocacy, communication skills, tips for getting ready for a job interview, and more. Quillo users enjoy using the app to:
• Explore the Quillo video library, including nearly 2,000 one-minute videos featuring stories and experiences from self-advocates, family members, professionals, state leaders, and more.
• Invite trusted people to join their private Circle of Support to share personalized videos.
• Set their own Favorites Playlists to return to videos later.
• and so much more!
Lexi has found that these tools have had a positive impact on how she is thinking about and planning for the future. Using the video-sharing features on Quillo Connect and the collaborative planning and scheduling tools on LCO, Lexi is also equipped to share her goals and plans with others.
“I feel like my approach to planning has really changed since I started using LifeCourseConnect I feel like my ideas are just more thought out, and I can plan them a lot more efficiently and communicate them a lot more efficiently since I started using LifeCourseConnect ”
Getting support along the way:
“You Don’t Go it Alone”
Living in northwest Indiana with her mom and two cats, Lexi shared, “LifeCourseConnect helps me just organize things and have them all in one place, organized and easy to have laid out and mapped and planned ” She joined Indiana LifeCourseConnect through The Arc of Indiana’s Advocacy Leadership Network, and will continue to use the tools after that program ends.
In addition to access to Quillo Connect and LCO, users can make the most of other program features, including personalized sessions with planning assistants and making connections through regular online community sessions. After signing up for Indiana LCC, you will receive one-on-one support to help set up your LCO and Quillo Connect accounts Virtual one-on-one meetings with LCC staff and optional monthly drop-in sessions provide participants with the chance to ask questions, take the tools further, and connect with others in the program.
Lexi has loved taking advantage of these additional program supports. “My favorite part of LifeCourseConnect is that you don’t go it alone. You get one-on-one sessions at least a couple of times, depending on what program you’re in to help build your LifeCourseOnline portfolio, or get any other assistance you need, as well as the LifeCourseConnect Community Chats, which is a great way to meet your community of people who use LifeCourseConnect ”
At the end of the day, LifeCourseConnect helps tackle the tough questions, opens new opportunities, and builds a real plan with real choices.
It’s more than a checklist - it’s an ongoing conversation.
LifeCourseConnect is not about filling out a form that sits on a shelf to collect dust all year. The tools are an opportunity to picture a future you want and help prompt the important conversations that so often are missed in developing a good life Together, LCO and Quillo Connect provide a way for users to think big without the risk of being overwhelmed. Update your goals in LCO throughout the year or when life changes occur. Share encouraging messages with others in your Quillo Connect Circle, and use the video library to inspire new goals and plans on your LCO
Is LCC a good fit for me or my loved one?
Are you new to the waiver and not sure where to start? Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed? LifeCourseConnect (LCC) is a great tool to help people get started with a plan! While everybody is welcome and encouraged to try it, we’ve found that LCC is a great fit for: • People who are new to their waiver services • Folks who are waiting for a provider • Individuals and their case managers who are searching for a provider They can work together to help pinpoint the types of things someone might want, like, or need. This could help clarify or speed up the provider search!
If an individual on the waiver isn’t old enough to use apps or isn’t regularly using technology themselves, it’s a great resource for caregivers and family members to use on their behalf.
How do I sign up to get started?
If you would like to follow Lexi’s lead and join LCC, we are excited to help you get started Indiana LCC is available through FCAR (Family Caregiver and Training) to people on the FSW and CIH waivers as well as through Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Sign up through Indiana LifeCourseConnect www. LifeCourseConnect com/Indiana, and the LCC team will help you work with your case manager to get this oneyear subscription added to your FCAR budget. There is no out-ofpocket cost for participants.
If you would like to start exploring LifeCourseConnect, please reach out! Call us at (317) 626-4387, email Cynthia@LifeCourseConnect.com, or visit https://lifecourseconnect com/ Indiana to get started. It all starts with one step.
