Easterseals: A Review

I used to be a client. Here’s what all those nice ads don’t tell you.

Photo by Deleece Cook on Unsplash

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What is it?

Easterseals is a non-profit organization that provides a broad range of disability services to a variety of populations throughout the US. They were formerly known as the National Society for Crippled Children (ouch!) and also helped advocate for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Onboarding

Soon after I became a client of my local regional center, the system of California agencies responsible for handling state-funded services for qualifying developmentally disabled residents, I was told I qualified for a service called Coordinated Life Services (CLS), and that Easterseals would provide this service. The basic idea of CLS is that somebody is appointed to help orchestrate the various administrative happenings that may arise in your life, such as getting a health insurance plan, setting up doctors’ appointments, securing housing, applying for food stamps, and more.

I was first sent some intake paperwork to complete. Almost immediately, I noticed that there was no place for me to sign at the bottom of the various consent forms that required my signature…