Opportunity Partners Awarded Three-Year CARF Accreditation and Exemplary Conformance

CARF announced that nonprofit disability organization Opportunity Partners in Minnetonka has been accredited for a period of three years for its Community Employment, Community Integration and Employment Planning and Skills Training. The latest accreditation is the seventh consecutive three-year accreditation that the accrediting body has awarded to Opportunity Partners.

In addition to its three-year accreditation, Opportunity Partners was awarded “exemplary conformance” for its public policy efforts, including its Committee of Advocacy and Leadership (COAL).

The three-year accreditation represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.

Opportunity Partners’ public policy efforts received special recognition in the CARF report. More than 300 staff, self-advocates and family members representing Opportunity Partners attended advocacy events during the 2014 legislative session, advocating for a 5% rate increase for Home and Community Based Services and other disability issues. Also receiving “exemplary conformance,” COAL is a person-first group for and by people served by Opportunity Partners who want to learn, teach and practice self-advocacy; with more than 50 active members, the group strives to influence legislative outcomes and make a difference in the community.

“I am proud to work with a team of employees that demonstrates the high quality level of performance and services as defined in the CARF accreditation report,” said Opportunity Partners President & CEO Armando Camacho. “The outstanding recognition of our public policy efforts is a testimony to the unwavering commitment we have in ensuring the people we serve learn to advocate for themselves and have choices in the services they receive.”

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, CARF establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information, refer to http://www.carf.org

Established in 1953, Opportunity Partners helps people with disabilities live, learn and work more independently through innovative services and collaborations with business. One of the largest social service agencies in Minnesota, the organization supports nearly 2,000 people with disabilities each year. www.opportunities.org
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