AmeriCorps Peer Mentor for Individuals with Disabilities

AmeriCorps Peer Mentor – Individuals with Disabilities

Part-Time AmeriCorps Member | Charleston, WV

Appalachian Center for Independent Living (ACIL) is seeking a part-time AmeriCorps Member to serve as a Peer Mentor for Individuals with Disabilities. This position is an opportunity for someone who understands the importance of peer connection and wants to help individuals with disabilities build confidence, develop skills, connect with their community, and pursue greater independence.

The Peer Mentor will work alongside ACIL staff and consumers to support ACIL’s Pathways Peer Support Program, helping individuals with disabilities connect with others who have shared experiences, interests, and goals.

About ACIL

Since 1982, the Appalachian Center for Independent Living (ACIL) has helped individuals with disabilities live independently and participate fully in their communities.

ACIL provides the five core Independent Living services of Information & Referral, Independent Living Skills Training, Peer Support, Individual and Systems Advocacy, and Youth and Adult Independent Living Transition Services, along with Veterans Directed Care, Community Living Services and Supports, transportation, employment and educational support, and community outreach.

ACIL believes that individuals with disabilities should have the opportunity to make their own choices, direct their own lives, and participate fully in their communities.

What Is Peer Support?

At ACIL, peer support is based on the belief that people with disabilities can learn from, encourage, and support one another through shared experiences.

A peer mentor does not provide counseling, personal care, or case management. Instead, the member serves as a peer, encourager, connector, and role model, helping participants recognize their own strengths and make choices about the direction of their lives.

The member will use ACIL’s Independent Living philosophy by promoting:

• Consumer choice
• Self-determination
• Self-advocacy
• Independence
• Community inclusion
• Peer connection
• Equal opportunity

What You Will Do?

The Peer Mentor will:

• Provide encouragement, support, and positive peer connection to individuals with disabilities.
• Help facilitate peer support groups, social activities, educational programs, and community activities.
• Help individuals identify personal interests, goals, strengths, and opportunities for greater community participation.
• Encourage self-advocacy, self-determination, and independent living.
• Share personal experiences, resources, and strategies when appropriate to help others navigate life with a disability.
• Help create a welcoming and inclusive environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their experiences and learning from one another.
• Assist with outreach to individuals who may benefit from ACIL’s Peer Support Program.
• Help connect participants with ACIL’s Independent Living services and other community resources.
• Encourage participants to develop relationships and support networks beyond ACIL.
• Assist with planning and coordinating peer support activities and community outings.
• Collect participant feedback and assist ACIL in evaluating peer support activities.
• Maintain appropriate documentation of service activities and participation as required by AmeriCorps and ACIL.

Who We’re Looking For?

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, dependable, a good listener, and comfortable building relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Applicants should have lived experience with disability or be a parent or immediate family member of an individual with a disability. This lived experience is an important part of the peer mentoring approach and will help the member connect authentically with participants.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A genuine interest in supporting individuals with disabilities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• The ability to listen without judgment.
• Respect for individual choice and personal boundaries.
• An understanding of or willingness to learn about the Independent Living philosophy.
• Creativity and enthusiasm for developing peer activities and community connections.
• The ability to work independently while maintaining communication with an ACIL supervisor.
• Dependability and professionalism.

This is a part-time AmeriCorps Member position with a service commitment of approximately 300 service hours during the approved service term.

Service activities will primarily take place in the Charleston/Kanawha Valley area and may include ACIL’s office, community locations, peer support activities, and community events.

The member will receive orientation, training, supervision, and professional development opportunities. Training will include ACIL’s Independent Living philosophy, peer support, disability awareness, consumer control, confidentiality, community inclusion, and AmeriCorps requirements.

The AmeriCorps Member must have dependable transportation to travel to the ACIL office in Charleston, WV, ACIL activities, community events, and partner locations as needed. The member must successfully complete all required background screening and AmeriCorps eligibility requirements. Service hours will typically be Monday through Friday, during our work hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with occasional flexibility required for community events, activities, or programs outside of normal hours.

Depending on the approved AmeriCorps program and service term, the member may be eligible for a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of the required service commitment.

Apply Today

If you are organized, dependable, and committed to supporting the independence of people with disabilities, we encourage you to apply. Individuals with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

Please send your resume and references to info@wvacil.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged.

ACIL welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences, including those with disabilities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.