I am trying to build a solution using the UCMA sdk but do not have access to the config store. Is it possible to use UCMA without it? I have a username/password I can use to log into the lync network and thought perhaps I could access things like that.
Yep, you can do this with a UserEndpoint. It doesn't require any replication with the config store (as long as you have a username and password which you've said you have).
I have a comparison between application & user endpoints here: http://blog.thoughtstuff.co.uk/2014/01/ucma-endpoints-choosing-between-application-and-user-endpoints/
and a worked example of using User Endpoints to send an IM here:http://blog.thoughtstuff.co.uk/2013/03/creating-ucma-applications-with-a-userapplication-instance-example-sending-ims/