Silas is “the brightest light you can be around,” according to his mom, Kristen D’Avolio. He is a kind-hearted boy who is always the first to offer help. He loves video games and superheroes, and spending time with his family. As Silas has grown, it has become a challenge for his mom to lift him and his wheelchair into the house daily. Silas walks with assistance at home and uses his wheelchair inside and outside the home for greater independence. For years, Kristen had tried to receive funding to install a wheelchair ramp for their home. When Kat Ingersoll became part of Silas’s care team, she knew providing a wheelchair ramp would be crucial to supporting his independence.
Kat, a care coordination manager (CCM) at Southern Tier Connect (STC), has always had a passion for providing support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Prior to working with STC, she worked in care management and self-directed services (SDS), always excited to learn about new opportunities to help the people she supports. When Kat began supporting Silas, Kristen had already explored many avenues to fund a wheelchair ramp. Kat knew that this project would take time. After all of the challenges Kristen had faced, she explains, “it was never a question of if the need was there, but of who would fund it.”
The ramp would not only allow Silas to move independently in and out of his home, but it would also protect Kristen’s health. For six years, she lifted Silas and his wheelchair daily, sometimes multiple times a day. As she explains, “First my back started getting really bad and eventually my knees gave out.” As Silas grew, that pain only increased. Kristen knew that long-term, she could not continue lifting him daily
Kat jumped into action to find a way to receive the funding. It had already taken about a year prior to Kat joining the process. She knew it was important to move the project along as quickly as possible. After coordinating with physical therapists, doctors, and everyone in Silas’s care team, Kat had all the information needed to receive funding for this project through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). The culmination of years of work, denials, and setbacks finally led to what had long been a dream: a ramp for Silas!
Now, Silas has a sturdy ramp perfectly suited for his needs. He can enter and exit his home independently. Kristen’s gratitude to Kat’s hard work is evident: “She made it so much easier—a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Being a parent of a child with disabilities, you don’t always know the path forward. Kat paved the way and answered all of my questions.” The years of paperwork and challenges finally felt worth it as Kristen and Silas watched the contractors build the ramp. Kristen sent as many pictures as she could to Kat, showing what they had accomplished. The best part, as Kristen describes it, “Silas even got to watch it being built! He would smile so big, knowing what was happening for him.”
Kat’s passion for this work drives her, even when it takes years to see her efforts realized. For Kat, it’s all about education, “I always make sure everyone I work with knows what’s available to them, but I’m also honest. Sometimes it does take a long time to receive the services someone needs, but I am there with them every step of the way.” Kat and Silas’s story reminds us of the power of patience and a supportive community.
