Criteria for Qualifying Families
What is a Qualifying Family?
At Barren Heights, it is our heart and mission to serve families who have children with physical and/or developmental disabilities regardless of age. The need is great but as our capacity to serve is limited by time, volunteers, funding, and facilities, we have detailed criteria for families who qualify for Barren Heights services (“qualifying families”) below. Disabilities are multi-faceted and often unique! The criteria and examples below encompass our definition of both terms but certainly do not apply to all individuals with disabilities. See our section on case-by-case review at the bottom of this page if you do not see your child’s particular diagnosis or criteria listed. We continually evaluate our criteria to meet the needs of our community and will update this page if or when it is necessary.
Qualifying physical and/or developmental disabilities:
- affect a person’s physical or developmental function
- are diagnosed by a medical doctor
- substantially impact or limit the person’s ability to perform basic life activities
- often require caregiving or constant supervision for safety purposes not equivalent to their age or stage of life
- often require the use of medical equipment, assistive technologies, and/or mobility aids
- include most genetic disabilities and medically complex individuals
- do not include mental or behavior disorders*
Examples of Qualifying & Non-Qualifying Disabilities
The following examples are by no means exhaustive but are intended to add more clarity to our criteria. Oftentimes a qualifying disability is accompanied by a non-qualifying disability/disorder; in that case, the family would qualify for our services. However, a non-qualifying disability/disorder alone without the presence of a qualifying disability would not qualify for our services. *Although many behavior and mental disorders are widely considered developmental disabilities and do have a significant impact on families, because of our capacity to serve, they are not qualifying disabilities for Barren Heights services in themselves.
Qualifying Disabilities
- Autism
- Down syndrome
- Spina Bifida
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Cerebral Palsy
- Epilepsy
- Rare genetic disorders (Rett syndrome, DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, etc.)
Non-Qualifying Disabilities/Disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- Sensory processing disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Oppositional defiant disorder
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Case-By-Case Review
While we do have criteria for our qualifying families, we also understand that disabilities are as unique as they are numerous. We encourage families to apply for our services even if they are unsure if they qualify. We often review applications on a case-by-case basis and use panel review to make decisions on families who may not meet our typical criteria for services. If you have any questions or concerns, please email info@barrenheights.org.
