For WC Partners, helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can take many forms.
It might mean teaching someone to cook or manage a budget. It could be helping a young adult study for a driver's permit test, providing case management or simply creating a place to make friends.
Katrina Detherow and Lynn Neidigh see that work from different sides of the same organization.
Detherow, executive director of WC Partners, has been with the organization for 14 years. She has called Webster County home since sixth grade. Her grandmother was a special education teacher, and she grew up with family members who had intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Those experiences helped shape her career.
“It was always an interest of mine to make sure that somebody was giving voice to those who sometimes couldn't have their own voice,” Detherow said.
She also wants people who can advocate for themselves to learn how to do it.
Neidigh brings her own personal and professional experience to WC Partners.
She grew up in Springfield and later returned to the Ozarks with her family. Her 21-year-old son has Down syndrome and autism, is nonverbal and lives at home with Neidigh and her husband.
“We moved back to be closer to family for their support,” Neidigh said.
Neidigh has worked with people with developmental disabilities for more than three decades. She founded the Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks and later ACHIEVE of Southwest Missouri, a post-secondary program developed with Evangel University.
Two years ago, she joined WC Partners as a Life Educator.
“I really enjoy working with the rural citizens, just because I enjoy bringing them different opportunities,” Neidigh said.
WC Partners serves as Webster County's tax levy board for services involving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization also holds the county contract for developmental disability services through the Missouri Department of Mental Health and oversees case management services.
Neidigh's work focuses on life education and recreation.
Programs cover practical skills such as cooking, budgeting, health and safety, self-advocacy, and social skills. One program helps young adults prepare for the written portion of Missouri's driver permit test.
Other activities, including game nights and holiday gatherings, give participants a chance to socialize and build friendships.
WC Partners also works with community organizations rather than keeping everything within its own walls. Neidigh has partnered with Marshfield Parks and Recreation, the local library, disability service providers and area venues.
The goal is to give participants opportunities to be involved in the same community spaces as everyone else.
“I feel like I'm just getting started,” Neidigh said.
WC Partners' reach also includes housing.
WC Capabilities, a nonprofit arm associated with the organization, has spearheaded a Webster County housing project primarily for people age 55 and older. Eight apartments are also being made available to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who can live independently, regardless of age.
Community members can get involved, too.
Detherow said volunteers are welcome in life education programs after completing an application, background check, and orientation. Volunteers can help with existing activities or share a skill of their own, such as cooking or arts and crafts.
“We have a wide range of interests for our individuals,” Detherow said.
The organization also hosts events open to the wider community.
WC Partners will hold Autumn on the Pond from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 25 at Freedom Park in Rogersville. The park is fully accessible, and the event is open to people with and without disabilities.
Those planning to attend are asked to register through the WC Partners website because food will be provided. A liability waiver is also required.
Families interested in life education programs can find activities and registration information at WCPartners.net.
For case management services, Detherow said Webster County residents should begin through the Springfield Regional Office. Once approved, WC Partners can be assigned as the case management agency. The organization serves Medicaid and non-Medicaid clients.
For Detherow and Neidigh, the different pieces come back to a common goal — helping people have more opportunities, more independence and a stronger voice in their own community.
