Assistance provided to persons in gaining access to needed social, medical, vocational and educational services and supports. See also service coordination and targeted case management.

CILs are community-based, not-for-profit, non-residential organizations that provide advocacy, peer counseling, independent living skills training, and information and referral to persons of any age with any disability.

A condition caused by damage to the brain before, during or after birth, that limits a person’s ability to fully control his/her muscles. People with CP are affected in different areas of the body, in the number of body parts affected, and in their symptoms.  Common characteristics of CP include involuntary movements, problems making voluntary movements because muscles are spastic or tense, and a loss of coordination.

The State Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (State CFAC) is a self-governing and self-directed organization that advises the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the General Assembly on the planning and management of the State's public mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services system.

A group of people selected by an individual with developmental disabilities or other types of disabilities that meets regularly with the individual to help plan, design and support ways for that person to achieve his or her personal goals. Circles are based on the belief that the community is a place where everyone belongs. A circle can include friends, family, classmates, co-workers, professionals, and other community members.

A disability that exists at birth.

A genetic disease that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus.  This mucus clogs the lungs, causes lung infections, and blocks the pancreas, which keeps enzymes from reaching the intestines to digest food.