Causes: Autism, Civil Rights, Developmentally Disabled Centers, Disabilities, Disabled Persons Rights, Down Syndrome, Health, Human Services
Mission: By Their Side guides families and provides advocacy for Marylanders with an intellectual/developmental disability. By Their Side believes everyone deserves respect, choices, and quality of life. We support our mission byproviding lifelong personal advocacy for those we serve; protecting individual's legal rights; guiding individuals and families through the maze of resources in the service delivery system; and assisting families with transition planning.
Results: By Their Side provides advocacy for 88 Marylanders, with 154 additional members to be served in the future when their parents are gone. 49 families have arranged additional advocacy support, and By Their Side receives calls for assistance from families every week. With 15-30 years of experience, By Their Side Advocates are an excellent resource. They help to assure members continue to receive the necessary support even after their needs change, such as a companion while hospitalized, retirement from structured day program activities to allow a slower but still active pace of life, evaluation for augmentative communication device to better express preferences and needs. They help distant siblings, providing first hand accounts of their relatives' well-being and needs. They advocate for health and safety, for example soft meals and dietary evaluation for a member found attempting to swallow food whole at her day program after her teeth were removed. And they advocate for life preferences, for example a clean location for g-tube feeding for a member who wanted to work a full day at a nearby art studio. Our advocacy is as varied as the needs of the individuals and families we serve. We are a small non-profit with an enormous mission in the eyes of the parents who have funded our services, and rely on donations to stretch limited resources for those we serve who have no remaining family.
Target demographics: Families and their relatives with intellectual/developmental disabilities
Direct beneficiaries per year: people and their families
Geographic areas served: Maryland
Programs: 1.Lifelong Advocacy Services for Marylanders with developmental disabilities when their parents are no longer able, including annual assessment visits and follow up to identified issues, to assure individual preferences and needs are addressed, life enrichment opportunities are offered, and parent advocacy concerns are addressed. We provide updates and consultation for remaining family and Trustees. 2.Annual Advocacy Plans: Families have the option to supplement the Lifelong Advocacy service by selecting the frequency of annual assessment visits, monitoring contacts with service providers, and when services begin- now or in the future. 3.Short term advocacy support to assist families to resolve a particular issue or facilitate service linkage for example. 4.Advocacy Support/Information and Referral: For parents and adult siblings, through consultation, educational seminars, and networking lunches.
Mission: By Their Side guides families and provides advocacy for Marylanders with an intellectual/developmental disability. By Their Side believes everyone deserves respect, choices, and quality of life. We support our mission byproviding lifelong personal advocacy for those we serve; protecting individual's legal rights; guiding individuals and families through the maze of resources in the service delivery system; and assisting families with transition planning.
Results: By Their Side provides advocacy for 88 Marylanders, with 154 additional members to be served in the future when their parents are gone. 49 families have arranged additional advocacy support, and By Their Side receives calls for assistance from families every week. With 15-30 years of experience, By Their Side Advocates are an excellent resource. They help to assure members continue to receive the necessary support even after their needs change, such as a companion while hospitalized, retirement from structured day program activities to allow a slower but still active pace of life, evaluation for augmentative communication device to better express preferences and needs. They help distant siblings, providing first hand accounts of their relatives' well-being and needs. They advocate for health and safety, for example soft meals and dietary evaluation for a member found attempting to swallow food whole at her day program after her teeth were removed. And they advocate for life preferences, for example a clean location for g-tube feeding for a member who wanted to work a full day at a nearby art studio. Our advocacy is as varied as the needs of the individuals and families we serve. We are a small non-profit with an enormous mission in the eyes of the parents who have funded our services, and rely on donations to stretch limited resources for those we serve who have no remaining family.
Target demographics: Families and their relatives with intellectual/developmental disabilities
Direct beneficiaries per year: people and their families
Geographic areas served: Maryland
Programs: 1.Lifelong Advocacy Services for Marylanders with developmental disabilities when their parents are no longer able, including annual assessment visits and follow up to identified issues, to assure individual preferences and needs are addressed, life enrichment opportunities are offered, and parent advocacy concerns are addressed. We provide updates and consultation for remaining family and Trustees. 2.Annual Advocacy Plans: Families have the option to supplement the Lifelong Advocacy service by selecting the frequency of annual assessment visits, monitoring contacts with service providers, and when services begin- now or in the future. 3.Short term advocacy support to assist families to resolve a particular issue or facilitate service linkage for example. 4.Advocacy Support/Information and Referral: For parents and adult siblings, through consultation, educational seminars, and networking lunches.
info@bytheirside.org
7215 York Road #352, Baltimore, MD 21212
443-279-1234
Civil Rights
Baltimore
