Our Community Clinic offers many services from audiological services that provide hearing tests and hearing aid fittings to physical management services for wheelchair and other adaptive equipment fittings. Additionally, the Clinic provides social work services and speech, occupational, physical therapies, and social work as well as education for school age children in private schools and at our clinic sites.
Audiological Services - Hearing loss or interruptions do not only affect the aging. Our clinic offers comprehensive professional services to all ages including evaluation testing, hearing aid sales, and cleaning and repairs. Hearing aid purchases include an optional service to provide batteries, cleaning and adjustments as needed. Dr. Monica Brace, AuD, FAAA, is a New York Licensed Audiologist and Hearing Aid Dispenser, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. Brace combines significant medical, pediatric, hearing aid and private practice audiology experience with the commitment to meeting your needs that typifies Franziska Racker Centers professionals.
Therapies - The Centers employs speech, physical and occupational therapists who take a personal and direct approach to meeting an individuals goals. Therapists work in conjunction with other program staff to ensure a complete plan is in place for each person served. Our therapy staff includes professionals with many years of experience and many specialized areas of expertise.
Meeting the social and emotional needs of people is a high priority of Franziska Racker Centers. Counseling for School Success is a collaboration between the Centers, BOCES and the local school districts to help young people with emotional and behavioral needs through individual and group counseling, proactive in-classroom treatment supports, and supported after-school activities in the community. These programs offer opportunities for improved interpersonal skills, broadened self-awareness of strengths and interests, and a heightened sense of belonging. Family involvement is encouraged and critical to the children's progress. Counseling for School Success includes the following programs:
Turning Point (TST and OCM BOCES)- A licensed day treatment program that works with youth who are referred by their home schools and in need of group counseling and in-classroom treatment support.
Cortland After Hours - Similar to Turning Point, the After Hours program provides students with supported after school activates in the community.
Lighthouse Classroom - This voluntary program provides a short-term school alternative for kids experiencing emotional trauma or crisis in their lives. Students in this program work in a BOCES classroom with a certified teacher, a special education monitor and clinical social worker. The goal is to stabilize the student and lay the groundwork for future academic success so that the student can be safely transitioned back to his or her home school.
Lighthouse without Walls- An extension of the Lighthouse classroom, Lighthouse without Walls provides outreach and intensive intervention to the many kids in crisis who are best served by remaining in their original classroom setting. Students in this program still receive some additional services, such as assessment and diagnosis, intensive case management and referral services, and goal-oriented, short-term counseling.
Franziska Racker Centers' Evaluation Services help families understand their children's strengths, needs, and development processes. Evaluations are the doorway children go through to get services that meet their special needs. Specialists from a wide range of disciplines assess the child's overall development. This service is most often provided in a child's home environment. Evaluations also take place at our community clinics. These clinics offer services ranging from hearing tests, hearing aid and wheelchair fittings, to assessments that give unique developmental insight regarding a child's special needs.
The Family Resource Program supports people with developmental disabilities and their families by providing family-centered services. From respite programs and parent informational resources to programs that help people reach their goals at home and in the community, these services 
promote individual choice, independence, and community participation. They are provided in the individual's home or in a community setting through two avenues: Home and Community Support Based Service and Family Support Services.
Home and Community Support Based Services
These family-centered services are designed to promote individual choice, independence, and community participation. They are available to applicants who have Medicaid or who meet the requirements of the Medicaid Waiver and meet the NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) criteria. Service opportunities include:
Day Services Individuals are supported as they explore their communities, fostering independence and choice through participation in skill building activities outside the home such as shopping, banking, use of public transportation and the making of new friends.
In-Home Services Independence is fostered at home through skill building activities such as housekeeping, food preparation, personal care and safety, reading, writing and playing games.
Waiver Respite Caregivers are provided a break from their role of primary support of an individual with developmental disabilities. Waiver Respite is through three different avenues:
At Home Waiver Respite - Care is provided in the home to give relief to the primary caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities.
Overnight/Evening Respite - Small groups of individuals with developmental disabilities can spend the night or participate in an evening recreation program with peers at a community location.
RRAP: Racker Respite Afternoon Program (Tompkins County ONLY) - Individuals attend an afternoon program at TST BOCES to give caregivers a break from their role of primary support and care provider.
Family Support Services
These family-centered services extend the opportunity for education, support, and respite to people playing a key role in the life of their family member with a developmental disability. The programs below are available to individuals who meet the NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) criteria. Unless otherwise indicated, programs are available in Tioga, Tompkins and Cortland Counties.
Equal Partners Project (Tioga and Tompkins Counties ONLY) - provides training and consultation to parents of children with disabilities on how to be actively involved in their child's education and build strong partnerships with teachers and schools.The Autism Lending Library includes books, videos and software as well as equipment, safety supplies, therapy supplies, and recreational supplies. The contents of the library focus primarily on autism and allow families in Tompkins County to try things out before they make an investment.For more information on the Autism Lending Library or to make a donation contact: Sheila Foote at 607.272.5891 x.211 or sheilaf@rackercenters.org.
Family Resource Fund (Cortland County ONLY)offers financial assistance to meet urgent special needs, for which no other funding is available.
Friendship Network (Tioga and Tompkins County ONLY) - creates opportunities for individuals to develop relationships by supporting involvement in areas where they can meet people with whom they share common interests. Friendship Network works with community groups to promote independence, foster participation, and build a neighborhood where everyone is a valued member.
Parent Network (Cortland County ONLY) - gives parents opportunities to share information and hear speakers on a wide variety of topics related to disabilities.
Tioga and Cortland County Recreation Respite Program - trained staff offer activities in the community to provide safe, fun, free activities for individuals while providing several hours of respite for their families.
Respite Programs - Temporary care is provided to a family member to allow parents or guardians the opportunity to pursue other interests. Both of the options below offer financial reimbursement to help cover the cost of the services.
Rest-A-Bit furnishes a list of trained providers available to support families.
Family Partnership allows the family to use a person of their choice.
Supporting Success: Strength Based Approaches for Challenging Behaviors offers consultation and training services by a Behavior Management Specialist who works with individuals with behavioral challenges and their families to foster increased opportunities for success.
The Centers owns and operates houses for people with a wide range of abilities and needs. The goal of Residential Services is to provide people with developmental disabilities a place to call home where they can thrive. Residential Services also make being a good neighbor a priority.
Participants in Residential Services receive nursing and psychological services as needed as well as services that help them identify and achieve their goals that reflect their dreams, wishes, and desires.
Franziska Racker Centers Community Service Coordination Program is an individualized planning services program for people with disabilities. Through information, linkage and referral to community-based resources, advocacy, individualized service plans, and assistance services to access available funds, the program helps children and their families establish goals and then supports them as they strive to achieve them. For more information on Service Coordination, contact Sandy via email at sandye@rackercenters.org or phone at 753.9376 x139.
Medicaid Service Coordination
In Community Service Coordination, a Service Coordinator links an individual or family with needed programs and services. It’s a good starting place for people with disabilities and their families as they explore accessing other disability services. This service is available for anyone over the age of three who meets OMRDD qualifications.
Good social skills are essential to functioning in life. They enable an individual to problem solve, make good choices and communicate positively with others. Groups are formed intermittently throughout the year for any child age 5 or above. Watch our event listings for upcoming groups!
The Centers' speech, physical and occupational therapists, special education teachers, and social workers are engaged with children and families in their homes and in community settings as well as in our classrooms.
This program provides children with disabilities the opportunity to swim with the proper support in place allowing the individual the physical and mental benefits that come from swimming.
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Franziska Racker Centers 3226 Wilkins Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 607-272-5891 (phone) | 607-272-0188 (fax) info@rackercenters.org Site Design & Programming by World Design Group, Inc. |  |
