The 2015 Annual Conference on Independent Living is coming up quickly! We have an exciting Conference planned! To make this year’s Conference successful, we need your help. The Annual Conference Committee and NCIL staff work tirelessly all year planning the Conference on a limited budget and we are very committed to keeping costs low to make the Conference as affordable as possible for attendees. To make this Conference affordable for all, we need volunteers!

We hope that IL advocates, family, friends, and supporters around the country will provide significant assistance at the 2015 NCIL Annual Conference. We have wonderful incentives for those who put in volunteer hours! We know some of your staff must attend all Conference activities, but if there are others that may not normally get to attend, incentives for volunteering may be the perfect opportunity for them. If you or your staff volunteers more than 5 hours during the Conference, half of the volunteer’s registration fee is waived. If you or your staff person volunteers 10 or more hours, the volunteer’s full registration fee will be waived.  [Read more…]

The NCIL Women’s Caucus is pleased to announce nominations for the NCIL Women’s Caucus 2015 IL Hall of Fame Award.

We are seeking women who are leaders in our movement, who mentor other women in their community, and who work hard to push forward the rights of women with disabilities.

The caucus is seeking nominations from now until May 29 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Winners will be announced at NCIL’s Annual Conference in July.

If you know someone who fits the bill, please fill out our nomination form.

In keeping with the theme of the Conference, “Generation ADA: Rise Up,” we are looking for nominations that include leaders who work to allow the new generation of IL women to rise up and become ready to lead.

We know that the Independent Living Movement began with young leaders and that many young people today are making their mark in the Movement at a younger age. We are looking for nominations about these young women.

We are also hoping to receive nominations that encompass the full NCIL membership. We hope to have inductees into the hall of fame who have a diverse background when it comes to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability.  [Read more…]

Today ADAPT and the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) filed an Amicus Brief in Home Care Association, et al v. David Weil, et al, the Department of Labor case regarding the companionship rule changes. The brief filed by ADAPT and NCIL details the detrimental effects the companionship rule changes will have on attendants and people with disabilities.

• Read the brief (accessible PDF)

The spring edition of NCIL’s Legislative & Advocacy Priorities is now available at the NCIL website.

This document contains specific information on the national legislative and policy priorities identified biannually by the NCIL membership, including funding for the Independent Living Program, healthcare and long-term care, housing, transportation, education, and more.

Please share this document with your Center or SILC staff, board, and the Senators and Representatives who serve your districts.

Contact NCIL for further information on the issues discussed in this document.

• NCIL Legislative & Advocacy Priorities (PDF)
• NCIL Legislative & Advocacy Priorities (plain text)

Many NCIL members will be familiar with Bob Michaels, who has contributed to our efforts significantly over the years. On March 24, Bob was awarded the Spirit of ABIL Award. You can read all about it at AZ Big Media. A short excerpt appears below. Congratulations, Bob!

“Bob’s style as an advocate is to motivate consumers to participate in public policy advocacy,” said Amina Kruk of ABIL who nominated Michaels for the award. “He makes a difference by training others, believing in the power of individual action and encouraging teamwork, but he does not hesitate to challenge decision makers, policies and programs that fail to promote advocacy and true independence for persons who have disabilities.”

…He also has turned his disability blog into a book, Strong Medicine…A Roadmap for Creating or Improving Your Independent Living Program.

“It’s really a field manual for those who want to start an independent living program,” Michaels said, adding that if he had one message to deliver it would be that “people can live independently. They don’t need to move into institutions. They can live on their own. Everyone should strive to be as free as they can.” Read more at AZ Big Media.

ABC Medical, a national leader in supporting and advocating for adaptive sports, along with the hundreds of adaptive sports organizations it partners with, announces the creation of  National Adaptive Sports Month.

National Adaptive Sports Month will increase awareness to the physical, social and psychological benefits of participating in adaptive sports activities, educate the public about the thousands of adaptive sports athletes that adapt, believe and compete each week in the United States, encourage support for inclusive fitness and inclusive athletics in our schools, provide information for individuals interested in participating in adaptive sports and advocate for an increase in the financial support of adaptive sports organizations nationwide.

“Over the past three years we have been fortunate to witness the transformative effects on individuals that participate in adaptive sports or activities”, stated Keith Jones, Chairman and CEO of ABC Medical. “Our goal in creating National Adaptive Sports Month is to create awareness for all adaptive sports athletes, their families and friends and have them join together and raise awareness of the incredible benefits of adaptive sports for individuals. If you believe in the power of adaptive sports, I invite you to join the movement!”  [Read more…]