The New Vistas Adult Services Program operates within the Independent Living Philosophy which holds that “disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to: live independently; enjoy self-determination; make choices; contribute to society; pursue meaningful careers; and enjoy full inclusion and integration into the economic, political, social, cultural and educational mainstream of American society.”
Employment Development
New Vistas remains committed to employing individuals with disabilities who have at least the minimum qualifications for the job position for which they apply and who are suitable for New Vistas dynamic and advocate based work environment. Margarita Anaya, Human Resources Manager maintains a formal process of hiring for all programs at New Vistas.
The four core Independent Living Services (IL) services of a Center for Independent Living are:
Advocacy (systemic and individual), Independent Livng Skills Training, Peer Support, and Information and Referral (I&R).
Peer Support
Provides IL skills training and peer counseling in a nine-county service area (See the Areas We Serve)
Individual IL Services
Teaches self-advocacy, accessing community resources, accessing transportation, financial management, balancing checkbooks, paying bills, tracking and scheduling appointments, monitoring self-medication with appropriate medical professionals, dexterity training and talking with legislators.
Support Groups
Current group offerings are structured on our "Curriculum Based Outreach" model and include:
From Grief to Laughter (adjusting to a disability and when someone with a disability loses a loved one), Living Well with a Disability
Presentations & Trainings
Social Security Work Incentives to individuals on SSI/SSDI, to case managers and to service providers throughout a nine-county region (See the Areas We Serve).
Rural Services
Individuals who live in rural settings often don't have access to high-quality services in their area. New Vistas has successful collaborations with non-profits and for profits such as Rway, Las Cumbres, Challenge New Mexico, Vista Sin Limites and Community Options (to name only a few). Staff from these organizations provide employment training to the customers that both organizations serve.
New Vistas is a member of the New Mexico Centers for Independent Living Association (NMCILA) which represent our brother and sister CIL's: Independent Living Resource Center (ILRC main office in Albuquerque), Disability Resource Center in Alamogordo, CHOICES in Roswell, San Juan Center for Indepdendent Living in Aztec and Farmington, The Ability Center in Las Cruces, and the Native American Independent Living Center (NAIL) in Laguna and San Felipe Pueblos.
Below is a list of helpful websites:
- Rehabilitation Services Administration - www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/rsa/index.html
- Independent Living Research Utilization (ilru) - www.ilru.org
- ilru New Mexico directory - www.ilru.org/html/publications/directory/newMexico.html
- ilru Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) Southwest ADA Center - www.dlrp.org
- New Mexico Aging & Long-Term Services Department GAP Program - www.nmaging.state.nm.us/GAP_program.html
- Information Center for New Mexicans with Disabilities and BabyNet - http://cdd.unm.edu/InfoCenterNM
- New Mexico Social Service Resource Directory - www.nmresourcedirectory.org
Contact us for more information on Adult Services