Photo Credit: National Park Service /Jacob W. Frank
Consumer Surveys Offer a Glimpse into the Work of Independent Living
Sometimes progress arrives as a new skill. Sometimes it is found in a returned telephone call, an accessible explanation, help navigating benefits, or simply the relief of being heard and treated with respect.
In August 2026, ten consumers shared their experiences through LIFTT’s Consumer Satisfaction Survey. Their responses provide more than statistics. They offer a glimpse into the deeply personal work of Independent Living and remind us why every conversation, every connection, and every individual goal matters.
Nine of the ten respondents said they received the assistance they needed, and every respondent reported being treated with respect by LIFTT staff. Nine received information in an accessible format, while one indicated that the question did not apply. Eight consumers said they received services quickly, and the other two described the timing as acceptable. Seven reported learning new skills.
Consumers identified assistance with finances and public benefits, daily living, personal growth, advocacy, consumer rights, and communication as especially helpful. One consumer summarized the experience in four wonderfully simple words: “It was all good.”
Behind those words are real moments of connection: an Independent Living Specialist answering a question, helping someone understand Social Security or SNAP benefits, organizing bills and mail, strengthening communication with another agency, or supporting a consumer who is learning to advocate for themselves.
These actions may appear small from the outside. To the person receiving support, however, they can mean greater confidence, more choices, less isolation, and a stronger sense of control over daily life.
Respect Is Where Independence Begins
The most powerful finding was also the most fundamental: every person surveyed reported being treated with respect.
At LIFTT, respect is not an extra feature of good service. It is the starting point.
The Independent Living philosophy recognizes that disabled people are the experts in their own lives. LIFTT’s role is not to take control, prescribe someone else’s future, or decide what independence should look like. Our role is to listen, provide useful and accessible information, support informed choices, and work alongside each person as they pursue the goals that matter to them.
That is why accessible communication, timely responses, and respectful relationships are so important. Before a new skill can be learned or a barrier addressed, trust must have a place to grow.
Every Response Helps Us Grow
The surveys also remind us that progress is rarely identical for everyone. One consumer explained that the referrals provided did not improve their situation. Another noted that only two meetings had taken place and that declining health made it difficult to evaluate the services fully. These responses matter just as much as the positive ones.
Not every barrier can be removed quickly. Community resources may be limited, a referral may not produce the hoped-for result, or a person’s health and circumstances may change before a plan has time to develop. Independent Living work takes place within the complexity of real life, where progress is sometimes immediate and sometimes requires patience, persistence, and a different approach.
Listening honestly means celebrating what works while remaining attentive to what does not. Consumer feedback helps LIFTT recognize where additional follow-up may be needed, where community partnerships must become stronger, and where we can improve the experience of asking for assistance.
A survey is not simply a report card to display proudly and then place on a shelf. It is an invitation to listen, learn, respond, and grow.
Small Steps Can Open Big Doors
The Independent Living movement teaches us that success must be defined by the consumer. For one person, it may mean understanding a benefits letter. For another, it may mean learning to manage household responsibilities, communicate with a service provider, protect their rights, or make an important decision with greater confidence.
These steps build upon one another. Information becomes knowledge, knowledge creates choices, choices strengthen confidence, and confidence opens new possibilities for independence. This quiet but powerful progression is reflected throughout the surveys.
Independence does not always announce itself through a dramatic transformation. Sometimes it begins with a question answered clearly, a confusing process made understandable, or a person discovering that their voice carries authority. What appears to be one small achievement may become the foundation for the next courageous step.
Thank You for Trusting Us
To every consumer who completed a survey, we offer our heartfelt thanks.
Thank you for trusting LIFTT with your experiences. Thank you for recognizing the people who helped you. Most importantly, thank you for telling us where our work made a difference and where we still have work to do.
Your voice helps shape our services. Your goals give our mission meaning. Your experiences encourage us to keep learning, responding, and reaching higher.
Ten surveys cannot tell LIFTT’s entire story, but they communicate something deeply important: when people are welcomed with respect, provided with accessible information, and supported in pursuing their own goals, possibility begins to grow.
And possibility is where independence starts.
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilites and aging indivduals with programs, services, resources and advocacy that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org
Our Vision: Empowering aging individuals and people with disabilities to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.
Our Mission: Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow’s (LIFTT’s) mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving Southeastern Montana is to empower aging individuals and people with disabilities to live independently through education, support, and opportunities.