Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living
The founders of the Disabled Parent Project, which will be an online community about parenting with a disability, are currently developing the website and want input on what content and functions would be most helpful. They want to hear from parents, prospective parents, child welfare professionals, researchers, advocates, attorneys, etc.
Please take a few minutes to take their survey and share with others. For further information, contact Robyn Powell, JD at [email protected].
The head of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta, is set to deliver the keynote address at the 2015 NCIL Annual Conference in Washington, DC. In addition to her tremendous contributions to the legal sector of Civil Rights, Ms. Gupta has been a strong advocate in legal matters regarding education and disability rights.
A significant figure in the fight to promote equal rights for all, Ms. Gupta has recently spoken about the Department of Justice cases involving the unlawful flagging of scores of LSAT test takers receiving disability accommodations by LSAC (Law School Admissions Council) and parenting rights of individuals who have mental or physical limitations and have been wrongfully refused rights relating to their own children. Upon her graduation from Law school, she began her legal career with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, her first notable case succeeded in the effort to overturn the wrongful drug convictions of 38 individuals in Tulia, Texas.
Ms. Gupta took her position as head of the Civil Rights Division in October 2014. Under her leadership, the Division continues its crucially important work in a number of areas, including advancing constitutional policing and other criminal justice reforms, ensuring that individuals with disabilities are afforded an opportunity to live in integrated community settings, protecting the rights of LGBTI individuals, and combating discrimination in lending and voting. Prior to joining DOJ, she was Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union and Director of its Center for Justice.
Vanita has won numerous awards for her advocacy and has been quoted extensively in national and international media on civil rights issues. In 2011, the National Law Journal recognized her as a Top 40 Minority Lawyer Under 40. Vanita is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law.
A new block of discounted accessible guestrooms is now available at the Marriott Metro Center, just one block from the NCIL Conference at the Grand Hyatt. These reduced rate rooms are available to NCIL attendees starting at $249 / night plus tax. Recently, all of the ADA Accessible rooms were booked at the Grand Hyatt and Embassy Suites, so we’ve opened up this new block of accessible rooms. If you need an accessible room and haven’t reserved your guestroom yet, contact Marriott today! As we prepare for one of our biggest conferences ever, these rooms may go quickly.
To reserve your room at the Marriott Metro Center, you can use NCIL’s custom link, or you can call: 1-800-393-2510 and make a reservation under the “NCIL Annual Meeting Overflow Room Block”.
Additional details are available on our conference webpage. See you in July!
The Americans with Disabilities Act is turning 25, and disability advocates from all over the country are celebrating! On Monday, July 27, the National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) is hosting the Americans with Disabilities Act 25th Anniversary: A Celebration of Pride, Power, and Promise. This incredible event will be the largest ADA Anniversary event in the country and will include disability rights leaders, members of Congress, Administration officials, and NCIL friends and family.
Tickets are on sale now, but the first 1000 people who register for the NCIL Conference will receive a free ticket to the party! Don’t delay your registration – we’re expecting a huge turnout for this year’s Conference, and you don’t want to miss the action!
By Karen Eber Davis
If your nonprofit is interested in diversifying income, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium offers a great example. In the late 1970s, Mote’s leadership realized that to fund research, they needed more diverse income. Mote started by focusing on youth. They began a science education program and summer camps. In the 1980s, Mote opened an aquarium to reach even more people. At first, it was small. Now, the aquarium provides over $1 million in operating support. Later, a state-of-the-art shark tank was added that drew 22,000 visitors. Recently, Mote added traveling live exhibits including sea lions.*
Guess what’s most surprising about Mote’s success? These activities had one purpose. It wasn’t to just grow income. It was to grow donations from local people to fund research. The purpose of the education programs, aquarium, shark tank, and live exhibits was to gather locals with the goal of engaging them to become individual donors. All the other income generated, including $1 million from the aquarium, was a valuable byproduct. [Read more…]
Thursday, June 11, 2015; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern
NCIL is happy to announce the 10th Annual Policy Briefing.
This important presentation will to bring advocates up-to-date on national issues and federal policies that affect people with disabilities and provide participants with question and answer sessions with national leaders to ensure you have in-depth information on the issues you care about most.
The Policy Briefing will ensure that we are fired up and prepared for NCIL’s 2015 Day on the Hill! For those of you who will not be at the 2015 Annual Conference on Independent Living, this will provide you with valuable and timely information that you can use in your community. Please share this training announcement far and wide so that our issues reach many people.
This teleconference is free for NCIL Members. There is a $25.00 registration fee for Non-Members, per call-in site. Fee does not apply per participant in group, provided the group uses the same conference line.
The Policy Briefing will be available via teleconference and CART (captioned) webcast. You must register by 12:00 Noon Eastern on June 11 to participate in the call.
Please contact Tim Fuchs at [email protected] with any questions.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the National Council on Independent Living, with funding from The HSC Foundation, are launching Real Talk, a project to provide a safe space in the DC area for young people with disabilities to discuss their experiences with disability and sexuality.
Project summary: via a series of in-person and virtual conversations, Real Talk will provide young people with disabilities a forum to discuss sexuality, consent, relationships, and lived experience. Additionally, Real Talk creates an empowering forum for young people with disabilities to identify and develop resources to enable sexual health providers to become more accessible and inclusive. As a result, sexual health providers will be able to provide their services to young people with disabilities in an accessible, inclusive way.
Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL) has been working with the Vermont Tourism Commissioner on a site that just went live called Inclusive Vermont. The site features stories and events in honor of the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the ADA.
Many thanks go to Kim Brittenham and Mike Charron (VCIL’s civil rights team) and Megan Smith, Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has available funding for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The funding will mobilize more Americans to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday as a day of service in communities, to encourage those who serve on this holiday to make a long-term commitment to community service, and to bring people together to focus on service to others.
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Notice prioritizes grant-making in programs addressing one or more of the six CNCS Focus Areas: Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, and Veterans and Military Families. CNCS will give priority consideration to organizations that have disability inclusion plans to ensure people with disabilities are among those serving at their Martin Luther King Day of Service event.
Applications for funding are due on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Successful applicants will be notified in July 2015.
Visit NationalService.gov/MLKNOFA to access technical assistance including upcoming assistance calls, and contact information for questions specific to these funding opportunities.
Deborah Cunningham, ADAPT activist and Executive Director of the Memphis Center for Independent Living, passed away May 7, 2015 with her family and friends by her side.
Deborah served as activist, mentor, friend, sister, and boss to many in Memphis and across the country. She worked with and for the Memphis CIL since its inception in 1982 and its charter as an independent non-profit in 1985. Through the years, she continued to serve as an independent living specialist and mentor to individuals with disabilities like herself. Deborah stepped up to become Executive Director in 1989 and was known nationwide as an exceptional example of an advocate and leader.
Tim Wheat wrote, “Before there was any home and community options in Tennessee, Deborah was the “conductor” of the Disability Underground Railroad that moved people with disabilities from institutionalization into their own homes in Colorado where there where community living options. Deborah was proud to direct a progressive Center for Independent Living that focused on integration, equality and activism. She was the mentor for many individuals in the Disability Rights Movement and a skilled director, speaker and teacher.”
Sandi Klink wrote, “I count myself lucky to have known and worked with this awesome woman for almost 30 years in one capacity or another. She was my IL specialist in 1985, my mentor always, and my boss and friend for the last 15 years. Deborah’s legacy of activism, independence, and leadership will continue through her MCIL team, which she loved and taught well. We mourn, but we will fight on to Free our People!” [Read more…]
