News from LINC Idaho

Powering Independence!

PRISON BREAK

How often have you heard people talking about our “new normal”? While I am sure the phrase has the best of intentions to help people adjust and feel more settled, for me, I cringe. I can’t imagine our current situation as stabilizing to “normal” for me. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming to me I can feel my chest tighten in frustration. I find peace in the fact that at some point things will open up. I can once again go out and experience our community.

When I sit at my home office to work and my thoughts move to the work Center’s for Independent Living (CIL) do for those living in institutions, I imagine their isolation must be as equally crushing for them – with one glaring difference. Isolation is really their “normal”. I can’t comprehend the feeling of having no hope or an end to the isolation. When meeting with out Executive Director, Jeremy Maxand, recently he drew that unfortunate and eye-opening parallel for me that for consumers, it feels like prison.

Perhaps, there is hope….I mean we all have seen the movies with prison breaks, right? Always by seemingly innocent individuals, involving years of planning, plotting, digging, and dreaming to escape the isolation of prison. The movies dramatically portray their relentless devotion to freedom. At CIL’s, that relentless devotion comes from our amazing staff. Working hard every day plotting, digging for resources, and helping consumers realize their “dream” with an “escape” to freedom that comes with living in the community.

This pandemic has provided me a very small taste of the struggles of isolation and loneliness some may feel living in an institution. In turn, I am rejuvenated and encouraged in our critical work to set people free from isolation.

LINC has three offices to serve you. www.lincidaho.org

1182 Eastland Drive North
Suite C
Twin Falls ID 83301
(208) 733-1712 VOICE
(208) 733-7711 TDD

1878 West Overland Road
Boise ID 83705
(208) 336-3335 VOICE
(208) 336-3335 TDD
(208) 384-5037 FAX

703 S. Kimball Ave
Caldwell ID 83605
(208) 454-5511 VOICE
(208) 454-5511 TDD
(208) 454-5515 FAX