Ozarks Profile: Ann Morris

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Ann Morris|ret||ret||tab|

Executive director, Southwest Center for Independent Living, 1856 E. Cinderella. SCIL is a community-based, not-for-profit, non-residential agency that provides a wide variety of services, advocacy and resources for people with all types of disabilities. It opened in 1986 and is "consumer controlled" the majority of its staff and board of directors are people with disabilities. The agency serves an eight-county area as one of 21 similar centers in Missouri. Individuals with disabilities receive free services in areas such as peer support, skills development, assistive devices and understanding disability laws. SCIL also performs a limited number of home modifications for increased access and administers a personal attendant program that allows the individual to hire and direct their own attendant care. Morris has been at the center since it opened. She is a member of the Governor's Council on Disability, the Statewide Independent Living Council, Missouri Centers for Independent Living, Americans with Disabilities Department of Justice Network, the National Council on Independent Living and numerous other local committees and councils. |ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Age: 59|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|No. of years in Springfield/area: Morris has lived in Springfield all of her life. |ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Education: Morris has a degree from Drury University.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Early career: "I previously taught in the Ash Grove School System, then 12 years in Springfield R-XII as a homebound teacher, teaching full secondary school curriculum to students unable to attend classes due to physical, psychological or behavioral factors."|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Current projects: Morris said she is in the process of a program expansion in personal attendant services. "Successful advocacy for a state Medicaid waiver has now made it possible for more people to have the choice of staying in their own homes rather than being placed in nursing homes."|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Management philosophy: "Hire competent, dedicated people and give them the support and freedom to carry out their responsibilities."|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Spare-time pursuits: "Canoeing, photography, reading and traveling to the far corners of the world, to places with no phones!"|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Family data: Morris has two sons: David, who works for the Association for Retarded Citizens in Springfield and Christopher and his wife Pamela, who both work as architects in Oregon. She also has a grandson, Parker. |ret||ret||tab|

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