The Organization

Advocates in Motion, P.A. started as a social service agency, in October 2000, serving people with developmental disabilities who qualified for State and Federal funding through the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (formerly the Developmental Disabilities Program with the Department of Children and Families). In 2002 A.I.M. initiated other supports and services which included social skill groups for teens and young adults with special needs, case management for those individuals who did not qualify for public funding and consultation services. In 2007, we are the first agency who primarily provides support coordination services in South Florida to launch a dedicated web site for individuals with special needs and their families.

A.I.M. is actively involved with the Florida Medicaid Waiver Program. This is a state and federally funded program associated with Florida Medicaid. We are currently certified to serve people in both Broward and Palm Beach Counties under this Medicaid Program. You must have been diagnosed with one of the five identified developmental disabilities prior to the age of 18. The five developmental disabilities are mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, and Prader-Willie. Once deemed eligible to receive the Medicaid Waiver Program an individual is entitled to receive Home and Community Based Services tailored for the individual’s needs. In order to navigate this program and receive services an individual must choose a Waiver Support Coordinator who is trained in all aspects of the program. All case managers on staff are certified as Waiver Support Coordinators and some are certified as special Consultants for the Consumer Directed Care Plus (+) Program (a specialized program within the Medicaid Waiver Program where individuals and their families manage their own services and monies).

As we have entered the 21st Century, it has become apparent that people with developmental disabilities are still significantly under-served. With this in mind, A.I.M.'s mission is to encourage, support, and advocate for all persons with special needs so they can integrate into the communities of their choice.

A.I.M.'s goal is to assist in the education, understanding and awareness of all persons with special needs through the world-wide-web, trainings and specific group and individual activities.

Waiver Support Coordinators assess an individual's needs, develops goals to meet those needs, develops a budget to support those needs, and accesses those community-based providers who will actually provide the services to meet those needs and reach those goals. WSCs make home visits, school visits, job visits, visits to adult day training programs, and attend individual specific clinical or educational meetings in order to provide solid case management and advocacy. WSCs are on 24-hour Emergency On-Call for their individual case loads. Waiver Support Coordinators are required to hold annual meetings, develop a written annual support and cost plan, and provide monthly notes on case management activities. (Note: When working under the auspices of an Agency, Waiver Support Coordinators are known as Treatment Providers. The titles seem to be interchangeable.)