What is a Center for Independent Living? Centers for Independent Living, often referred to as "CILs" are non-residential places of action and coalition, where persons with disabilities learn empowerment and develop the skills necessary to make lifestyle choices. Centers provide services and advocacy to promote the leadership, independence, and productivity of people with disabilities. Centers work with both individuals as well as with the local communities to remove barriers to independence and ensuring equality of persons with disabilities. How are Centers for Independent Living funded? Centers are non-profit organizations, which are funded by state, federal, local and private dollars. Part C of Title VII of the Federal Rehabilitation Act provides general operations money for 5 CIL’s in Missouri. Additional funds under Title VII, Part B of the Act are granted to Centers under the State Plan for Independent Living. The Plan, which is jointly developed by the Statewide Independent Living Council, and Vocational Rehabilitation, provides Part B funds to Centers to provide the 4-core services. Centers also solicit local and private funding to meet service needs which have been identified at the local level. Who do Centers serve? Centers provide services to individuals with significant disabilities as well as to the local community at large. Core services to individuals, provided by all Centers include Information and Referral, Peer Counseling, Independent Living Skills Training, and Individual and Systems Change Advocacy. Services to the community include disability awareness, technical assistance regarding accessibility and legal issues, as well as general disability related information.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 21:08:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015