Alicia's Story

For more than 60 years UCP has been working to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities to ensure the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society.  Alicia Finley is an example of how the support services we provide can open doors of opportunity and push for full inclusion in society.

Alicia is a 22 years old young with cerebral palsy who uses a power wheelchair for mobility and a head controller. Alicia lived at home with her parents until the 12th grade at which time she moved into a nursing home because her family was no longer able to provide her total care needs.  After graduation, she began attending our UCP affiliate in Greater Birmingham, enrolling in pre-vocational training.  During 2009, her head controller broke and because she was living in a nursing home, Medicaid would not pay for repairs.  Without repairs, Alicia would have been confined to a manual wheelchair and dependent on others for her mobility. Through the Bellows Fund, a charitable fund administered by UCP to provide assistive technology to individuals in financial need, UCP was able to help Alicia get the necessary repairs to her wheelchair allowing her to continue her training and to live a life of greater independence.  

Alicia is able to use a computer with a simple piece of assistive technology, and is working toward finding a job. Like anyone else, she would like to be a working member of society with a regular social life. Her experiences at UCP have made her feel for sociable as she has opportunities to spend time with peers and make friends. As a result of Alicia’s own determination and the assistive technology and training provided by UCP, she is breaking down the barriers of her disability.

Alicia is one of millions of Americans living with a disability who is striving for full inclusion in society. At UCP, we believe this is a civil rights issue and we are working to change the paradigm of care and standard of living for people with a spectrum of disabilities.