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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Independent Living & The Rehabilitation Act

FLASH SALE: 10% OFF Annual Conference Registration – This Week ONLY!

NCIL’s schedule of workshops for the 2022 Annual Conference on Independent Living has been posted.

We’re offering 10% off conference registration for one week – Monday, June 13 – Friday, June 17.

Use the discount code: FLASH to apply the discount to your order.

Special Flash Sale / All NCIL Conference Registrations 10% OFF / One Week Only June 13-17 / Enter Code: FLASH
Image: Special Flash Sale / All NCIL Conference Registrations 10% OFF / One Week Only June 13-17 / Enter Code: FLASH

IL-NET T&TA Center for Independent Living Presents… A National Webinar: The Independent Living Plan – Assisting Consumers in Making an IL Plan

June 21, 2022; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Register online or reach out to [email protected] for more information.

The IL-NET National Training & Technical Assistance (T&TA) Center operated by ILRU in collaboration with NCIL, APRIL, and the University of Montana Rural Institute and RTC: Rural, supports CILs and SILCs in building capacity to run strong, effective organizations.

This webinar will be a panel discussion highlighting the benefits of a consumer-controlled approach to Independent Living Plan creation. Research shows that services are more effective overall when individual consumers set their own goals. We will feature representatives from LIFE Inc., Executive Director, Michelle Crain, and IL Services Coordinator, Robin Reisert.

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Your Input Needed: Take the NCIL Stakeholder Survey by June 4!

Dear IL Friends and Colleagues,

Thank you for the support and patience you have shown over the past several months as NCIL has been going through times of transition. Many of you have reached out to confirm that NCIL matters to you and that you believe it is as relevant as it ever was. Some of you have said it’s no longer the organization for you or the organization you represent.

Non-profit organizations are like people in many ways. We all go through lifecycles. That’s why the board of NCIL decided to undertake a Lifecycles Capacity Assessment for the organization. With the help of Karcsay Consulting Group, we are taking a look at everything that NCIL does and stands for. Our consultant has begun conducting interviews with diverse members, former members, non-members, and other stakeholders, board, and staff. In addition, board members were asked to complete a Lifecycles Capacity Assessment to get their view of NCIL’s current level of maturity.  

We also want to hear from you, our members, partners, and stakeholders. We would appreciate your taking a few minutes to complete a short survey that will give us feedback about what’s important to you about NCIL. Please complete the survey by June 4, 2022.

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Support NCIL’s IL Appropriations Request: Contact Your Members of Congress!

Congress is getting to work on Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) funding, and earlier this week NCIL submitted our formal appropriations request. We need support from the rest of the Independent Living network to boost this request and make sure Congress understands the importance of the Independent Living Program!

Take Action!

The Independent Living Program is one of our country’s most important investments, and we need to ensure FY23 appropriations include the substantial increase the program has desperately been waiting for.

NCIL requested a total funding amount of $250 million for the Independent Living line item (an increase of $131.8 million).

Congress has our request; now they need to hear from their constituents across the country! Call or email your Senators and Representatives and tell them that you support NCIL’s appropriations request for $250 million for the Independent Living Program. Tell them how vital the IL program is to their disabled constituents! It is essential that we keep the Independent Living Program in the conversation as Congress works to determine FY23 spending levels.

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NCIL Job Announcement: Director of Advocacy and Public Policy

The Director of Advocacy and Public Policy leads analysis of proposed legislative actions; determines the potential impact on people with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living, and Statewide Independent Living Councils; develops appropriate responses; maintains continuous relationships with government, other disability rights organizations, and other partners and stakeholders; and represents and protects NCIL’s interests. The Director of Advocacy and Public Policy works closely with the Executive Director, NCIL President, Vice President and the Legislative and Advocacy subcommittee chairs to ensure that NCIL is a leading voice in disability rights. Read the full job description.

Application Deadline: May 5, 2022

NCIL Anniversary Logo: Celebrating 40 Years

A Message from NCIL’s Diversity Committee

We as the NCIL Diversity Committee would like to assure to our membership that we understand and are committed to continuing our efforts to bringing intersectionality and diversity together. This will allow people who are not often seen or heard, because of underrepresentation, to have the opportunity to be at the table. This includes reaching out and connecting to the youth to hear what they have to say because their voices matter, and they are the future of this movement. The NCIL Diversity Committee is dedicated to the work that will not just benefit our organization but will benefit the disability community as a whole and future generations to come. 

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NCIL Mourns the Loss of Sheryl Grossman

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Sheryl Grossman. Sheryl passed away early this morning, March 28, 2022 surrounded by the love of her community.

Sheryl was a passionate disability rights advocate who spent over two decades working to promote legislative and social change for the disability community. During her time as the Community Living Advocate at NCIL, Sheryl facilitated the National Organizing Project, where she advocated for community integration on Capitol Hill and worked to advance direct action in support of disability rights and community living. Sheryl was also founder and facilitator of Bloom’s Connect, an international organization that enabled people with Bloom’s Syndrome, a rare genetic condition, to find community and peer support. In 2020, she was nationally recognized for her dedication to the rare disease community, and she received a RareVoice Award for her federal advocacy work.

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Sponsorship Opportunities: 2022 Annual Conference on Independent Living

The theme of NCIL’s 2022 Annual Conference is Forging Justice. This year’s conference will be NCIL’s first-ever hybrid conference, with options for in-person and virtual participation.

NCIL’s Annual Conference is the largest Independent Living event of the year. NCIL regularly hosts over 1,000 people, including grassroots advocates, CIL and SILC leadership, members of Congress, government officials, and representatives from other organizations that work for justice and equity for people with disabilities.

2022 is NCIL’s 40th Anniversary! We have grown so much over these past 40 years. Forging Justice represents the advocacy and work that NCIL has done in pursuit of liberation for people with disabilities. But Forging Justice also represents the work that NCIL must do, that our members, and all disability advocates must do in pursuit of disability justice work that fights racism and colonialism with the same passion and dedication as we fight ableism.

Please take a look at our sponsorship, exhibiting, and advertising opportunities and fill out the commitment form. I would love to hear from you with any questions, requests, or to discuss custom options.

Early bird pricing on ads and exhibits ends May 6, 2022.

– Jenny Sichel, [email protected]

2022 Annual Conference on Independent Living Logo: Forging Justice

IL-NET T&TA Center for Independent Living Presents… A National Webinar: Evolving Core Services — Independent Living Skills Training

April 7, 2022; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Register online or reach out to [email protected] for more information.

The IL-NET National Training & Technical Assistance (T&TA) Center operated by ILRU in collaboration with NCIL, APRIL, and the University of Montana Rural Institute and RTC: Rural, supports CILs and SILCs in building capacity to run strong, effective organizations. This webinar will be a panel discussion highlighting best practices and approaches to Independent Living skills training. We will feature representatives from two CILs, Lidia Fonseca of the Valley Association for Independent Living (VAIL) and Jeremy Caffee of the Access Center for Independent Living (ACIL) of Dayton.

Presenters:

Lidia Fonseca is the Director of Programs at Valley Association for Independent Living, a center that provides independent living services to people with disabilities in the South Texas region. She has served her community as a disability justice advocate and provides overall supervision, management, development, and implementation of programs at VAIL. She has 10 years of experience in the disability field which include advocacy efforts that focus on disability rights, emergency management and planning for persons with disabilities, training on leadership, advocacy, and disability policy, and promoting employment services that follow ADA guidelines for all persons with disabilities.

Jeremy Caffee is the Executive Director for the Access Center for Independent Living (ACIL) which provides independent living services, Disability Awareness training, and Durable Medical Equipment in Dayton, Ohio. Prior to joining the Access Center, Jeremy has over 20 years’ experience in the non-profit and disability fields. Prior to joining ACIL, he worked in permanent supportive housing, assisting individuals with disabilities experiencing homelessness obtain and maintain community-based housing. He is a graduate of Antioch University and currently working toward completing his MSW with the University of Kentucky.

Please join us for this complimentary webinar and learn more about creative approaches to delivering IL skills training in fully remote and in person settings. Additionally, participants will learn about examples of how effective IL skills training can assist consumers in achieving greater independence, and increase their knowledge about the purpose and key elements of IL skills training for consumers of Centers for Independent Living.

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Disaster Preparedness and Response Practices Call for Submissions

Source: ADvancing States

Dear aging and disability I&R professionals,

I&R/A programs are a vital resource in times of disaster and emergencies. Programs have risen to many challenges over the past two years and beyond along with developing innovative and creative approaches to helping individuals, families, and communities. We want to hear from you! Share your disaster and emergency preparedness and response promising practices with us and you could join us at the National HCBS Conference. See below for more information on our promising practices contest. Practices can be submitted through an online application. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2022. View the submission guidelines prior to starting an application. For the submission form in an alternate format, or for more information, contact [email protected].

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