Founded almost 50 years ago as a school for the area's children with intellectual disabilities, KFI has changed and expanded to become a regional provider of services to people with disabilities, recognized and awarded for excellence. Fifty years ago the emphasis was keeping those with significant intellectual disabilities out of institutions; now the effort is in helping people with disabilities become active members of their communities, to live, work and socialize where and how other members of the community do. The transition has been a startling and even revolutionary shift of attitude and service delivery. As with any such movement, some were adamantly in favor of it, some violently opposed it but most were just unsure or confused. KFI added to that confusion by changing rapidly.
The first 20 years of KFI's history concentrated on centralized services - transporting people to buildings owned by the organization. Since these were in East Millinocket, services particularly in that community were visible and seemingly healthy. KFI's experience over the last 25+ years, however, goes in exactly the opposite direction - moving our services discretely into the community in which people with disabilities live. This dual approach - providing services in the community instead of in buildings and moving to people's home community - means our job became less visible. For instance we now help people find work at a local business rather than provide work in a sheltered workshop, we help people live in their own apartments and homes rather than operating group homes, and we assist people to use the community's recreation and social services rather than duplicate those services ourselves or offer them only for people with disabilities.
KFI continues to offer citizens with developmental and other disabilities a full range of services including home supports, community supports, employment supports and case management. Today, the administrative offices for the agency are located in Millinocket, with branch offices in Lincoln and Bangor. Our employment services continue to meet with great success through the placement of adults with disabilities into community jobs throughout Penobscot county. And for the first time in their lives, people who once would have faced a bleak future in an institution or foster home are moving into – and buying - their own homes with supports from KFI staff, families, and friends.
The founders of KFI had the vision and knowledge that people with disabilities were also people with abilities. Their dreams for their own sons, daughters, and fellow citizens helped shape the lives of those served by KFI today.
Services to people with disabilities have undergone many changes also. From the early days of segregated schools that sheltered and protected to the current philosophy that calls for community participation and inclusion, KFI has kept pace with the trends - and as evidenced by our 1999 national "Full Community Inclusion Award" and 2008 national "Community Builder Award" - led the way with innovative services for people with disabilities in northern Maine.
