Community Integration Experiences

Community Integration Experiences (CIEs) are opportunities for people who live at Southern Wisconsin Center to interact with members of the community who are not similarly challenged.  This may occur at locations away from our “village” or by members of the larger community visiting us in our “village”.  The frequency and types of CIEs are person centered and result from individuals making choices and decisions with the guidance of the interdisciplinary team.

CIEs provide people with integration opportunities while participating in normal life experiences such as shopping, getting a haircut, going to the post office, library, grocery store, church, sailing or Brewers, Admirals, Raiders or Bucks games, etc.  The focus is to meet person-centered needs, acquire new skills, maintain current skill levels, have fun and meet new people, while fostering independence in an integrated setting.

These activities incorporate normal rhythms of the day and stress independence.  Each individual participates in activities of interest and are encouraged to expand their interests by exploring the community.  Off campus activities are designed and selected so that individuals are afforded the maximum opportunities to exercise their right to interact with members of their community in an integrated way.  These activities are often simple in nature but may be complex for individuals who have not had the frequency of opportunities to interact with other members of the community.  By example this includes:

• Ordering a meal and interacting with the wait staff;

• Having a store clerk help pick out clothes which fit and colors that match;

• Getting a signature of Brett Favre at the car dealership;

• Swimming at North Beach and playing volleyball before lunch at the Oasis;

• Sailing on Lake Michigan with the Milwaukee Sailing Club;

• Taking the train into Chicago with the commuters;

• Going to a concert with thousands of other screaming fans;

• Going to the bank and having the teller call you by your first name;

CIEs allow individuals to grow and to be as much a part of their world as possible so that the world is not denied their unique contribution.

Below are some of our clients involved in activities.

Last Revised:  April 10, 2013