Approved by the NCIL membership July 2014

Whereas, more than a decade and a half ago, a national effort was undertaken to establish a funding benchmark necessary to operate a Center for Independent Living that was adequately carrying out the duties and responsibilities spelled out in Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act; and

Whereas, that work in the mid 1990’s resulted in about 80%* of the states having set a “base funding” benchmark of $250,000 for their Centers before any funds are directed toward the development of a new Center; and

Whereas, a minimum of $250,000 to deliver the four core services in proportion and with quality, across a multi-county or multi-region service area is no longer adequate; and

Whereas, an examination of methods used to determine inflationary impacts over time, show that the purchasing power of $250,000 in 1995 requires significantly more money in 2012 (the latest year in which the calculations are available) with the current value of $250,000 using the Measuring Worth calculator (measuringworth.com) ranging from $377,000 using the Consumer Price Index to $530,000 using the relative share of Gross Domestic Product; and  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership July 2014

Whereas, studies show that working age people with disabilities want to work and they do work; and

Whereas, the efforts to acquire and retain gainful employment are fundamental to a realization of full independence, equality and civic participation for people with disabilities; and

Whereas, NCIL is already engaged in seeking a redefinition of disability for young SSI beneficiaries through the CareerACCESS Initiative (www.ourcareerACCESS.org); and

Whereas, “disability” under the Social Security Act is defined as the inability to execute significant paid physical or mental labor, and whereas individuals must go through an extensive process to prove their inability to work as a stipulation for Social Security disability benefits eligibility; and  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL Membership July, 2013

WHEREAS federal law prohibits sale of firearms or ammunition to any person “adjudicated as a mental defective or … committed to any mental institution” and requires reporting such court orders to the “National Instant Criminal Background Check System” administered by the U.S. Department of Justice;

WHEREAS much of the legislation to address shootings such as the Newtown incident in December, 2012 has focused on people with autism, mental and disability, in effect “profiling” based on disability rather than focusing on factors associated with more severe violence;

WHEREAS violence and disability have been studied intensively in the last twenty-five years and these studies have verified that people with disabilities are more frequently victims of violence than our peers without disabilities; and  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership June 2012

WHEREAS, the extent to which people with disabilities, residing in state, local and federally funded institutions are subjected to abuse is underreported, unknown and generally remains hidden from public scrutiny; and

WHEREAS, the population of individuals with disabilities includes children, adults and elders, residing in a variety of settings such as schools, nursing homes, hospitals, group homes, etc.; and

WHEREAS, the continued segregation of this population often results in a lack of disciplinary action, criminal charges, criminal prosecution and offender accountability against those perpetrating these acts; and  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership June 2012

WHEREAS, the extent to which people with disabilities are subjected to abuses of all kinds as a means to gain control of their benefits is unknown and often is long lasting; and

WHEREAS, recent accounts of individuals with disabilities in Philadelphia have highlighted the extent and cruelty that these predators will go to in order to gain and maintain this control; and

WHEREAS, this type of exploitation not only cost millions of tax payer dollars it also has a devastating effect on the health, well-being and independence of those individuals being exploited.  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership July 2011

WHEREAS, Mad Pride celebrates the human rights and spectacular culture of people considered very different by our society;

WHEREAS, The name “Mad Pride” got its start in London when activists there saw a Gay Pride event and got madly inspired;

WHEREAS, Mad Pride may be celebrated anytime but is most often observed in the month of July, usually on or around July 14, Bastille Day;  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership July 2011

WHEREAS, The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities has published a “Fact Sheet” for Centers for Independent Living on “Serving People with Psychiatric Disabilities”;

WHEREAS, the “Fact Sheet” attempts to draw a connection between CILs and psychiatric providers by urging CILs to direct consumers with mental/emotional disabilities to medical and other professional service systems over consumer-run services and other forms of peer support;  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership July, 2011

WHEREAS, involuntary treatment of any kind is inherently damaging emotionally and physically;

WHEREAS, Electroshock (also called electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) has been documented to cause potentially permanent memory loss and cognitive deficits/learning disabilities and has a high risk of also causing epilepsy or other seizure disorders, cardiovascular complications and even death;  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership June, 2009

WHEREAS, NCIL believes it is the commitment of the Independent Living Movement to support and advocate for accessible and affordable housing for all people with disabilities throughout the United States.

WHEREAS, all people with disabilities need housing that will preserve health and vitality and preclude exposures that may further compromise wellbeing.  [Read more…]

Approved by the NCIL membership July, 2008

WHEREAS, NCIL believes it is the commitment of the Independent Living movement to advocate for the human and civil rights of all people with disabilities throughout the United States.

WHEREAS, to secure the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people with disabilities into society, it is necessary to defend their right to an integrated lifestyle.  [Read more…]