Our Independent Living Skills Training is designed to assist in developing or enhancing daily living skills
​to attain or maintain the desired level of independent functioning. 
​
Here are just a few examples of the Skills Training we provide at SWCIL:

Communication:  Social Skills and Manners, Interpersonal Skills such as Coping with Teasing,
Bullying or Anger Management, Assertiveness Skills

Education/Training:  Post-Secondary Educational Exploration and Applications or Registration for Services

Employment:  Resume Development, Interview Skills and Techniques, Job Seeking Skills, Getting and Keeping a Job
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Finances:  Spending Habits, Addressing Insurance Coverage, Comparison Shopping, Banking and Financial Management

Personal Growth & Self Help:  Self-Esteem Building, Problem Solving, Goal Setting, Disability Awareness, Peer Counseling, Relationships

Self-Care & Daily Living:  Nutrition and Cooking, Laundry Skills, House Cleaning and Home Maintenance, Hygiene and Grooming

Click here for a list from PACER Center on Personal Care Skills

Transportation:  Driver's Education*, Adaptive Equipment, Community Transportation, Travel Safety, Community Access

Youth Transition Services:  Preparing for: Employment, College, Living on Your Own, and Other Aspects of Life after High School
*SWCIL assists individuals in studying the MN Drivers Manual only. We are not a replacement for the formal classroom education.
Other Independent Living Program Services Include: ​

Consumer Success Stories...

Achieving her Childhood Dream​
Destiny Gibbens began working with SWCIL when she was still in high school. After increasing her knowledge of Minnesota signs and driving laws in preparation to attain her driver’s permit (which she did), she set her sights on a higher goal.
            She began by working closely with her independent living specialist from SWCIL to learn more about housing, the cost of schooling, and the process involved with applying for federal education assistance. Partnering with her mother, her IL specialist, and representatives from the Private Industry Council and Vocational Rehabilitation, the applications she submitted for school and financial aid were accepted, and she was on her way to MN West College in Canby for the Diesel Program, fulfilling a dream she had had since he was seven years old.
            When she visited campus with her support team, which soon included the Student Success Coordinator and Student Advisor, she was able to ask questions she had written down, including how to apply for on-campus housing and the need for reasonable accommodations she might need for school. SWCIL was able to provide her with assistive technology devices (a LiveScribe pen and notebook) for thirty days to see if they would help her be more successful in class, and eventually more suitable off-campus housing.
            The result of all this is that Destiny recently (late 2023) reported that she loves diesel mechanics and is also getting wonderful grades (3.45 grade average, B+). She says she enjoys the ‘hands on’ of the program, taking apart engines and carburetors, and likes when she gets done with a project before the guys in her class.
Picture of Jimmy O'Malley, a white, middle aged man wearing a green hoodie sweatshirt, black rimmed glasses and a chef's hat. Jimmy is stirring food in a pot on the stove.
Destiny Gibbens in Diesel Program at MN West College, in Canby
A Home of her Own
In October of 2019, Charlene came to Redwood County with nothing but her emotional support cat and dog, a free government-program cell phone, and a few days' worth of clothing. She stayed with her family for a couple weeks but was unable to stay longer due to the restriction on the lease. 
     Charlene had been homeless, living in one cheap hotel or another and couch-surfing for over two years. Her meager Social Security was just enough to cover the cost of having a roof over her year. It left nothing for the other things she began to feel were the finer things in life such as food and clothing. Unlike most hotel guests, she was not allowed to eat the continental breakfast or enjoy any other luxuries some hotels offer their guests. 
     Charlene reached out to SWCIL for help finding a place of her own to live and get some in-home help with bathing and other things she couldn't do on her own. After contacting multiple area agencies, Charlene was put at the top of the waiting list for income-based housing, and was told she had an apartment to call her own....Charlene repeatedly says how grateful she is to SWCIL and has said, "I don't know where I'd be without your help. I never thought all of this was possible." 
Contact SWCIL to request more information about our Independent Living Program,
​request accommodations, or to obtain forms in alternate formats. 

SWCIL OFFICE: 109 S 5th St. #700, Marshall, MN 56258
Phone: 507.532.2221 or 800.422.1485 (for MN Relay, dial 711)
​Email: [email protected]  Fax: 507.532.2222
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