Individual & System Advocacy
As one of the functions at the core of the independent living center philosophy, advocacy runs through everything we do at RCIL. Our case managers work with individuals to increase self-help and self-advocacy skills and knowledge. Our Board of Directors is made up of no less than 51% people with disabilities. Our managers, staff, board members, volunteers, and consumers represent a wide array of disabilities. We have no set agenda for the individuals who access our services -- rather, our consumers identify their own independent living goals and set their own pace to achieve them.
Our job is simply to provide support for the process of achieving full participation and equality -- equal access to education, employment, housing, transportation, recreation, health care, the judicial system, and local, state, and federal government.
To accomplish this, RCIL staff work to provide community education regarding disability-related issues and to identify discriminatory trends and physical or attitudinal barriers that impact individuals but are rooted in the community and existing systems. RCIL staff are affiliated with more than 200 community, state, and national organizations, which provide forums for staff to be influential in policy development that impacts systems and service delivery, funding decisions, and the building of support relationships between agencies.
The center played a significant role in several pieces of key disability rights legislation passed at both the state and national levels, including the NYS Accessible Public Transportation Act, the Accessible Voting Rights bill, and the Nursing Facility Transition and Diversion Medicaid Waiver Program. RCIL is also recognized for its expertise in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and routinely conducts workshops and provides technical assistance in the private and public sectors to government, private clubs, businesses, institutions, and professional organizations.
Contact RCIL for more information.