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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO:
As we are nearing two full years of operating in the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of RCIL staff and the community has never been more apparent. Although many experience fatigue from the pandemic, we are continually proud of the way individuals have come together to try to stop the spread of the disease.
As we mourn the loss of the over 800,000 Americans that have died of COVID, we will continue to listen to the science and remain vigilant in updating our safety protocols to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RCIL is committed to continuing to support individuals with disabilities and their right to live, work, and participate in the community. We will continue to ensure our services are uninterrupted and we can continue to support those in-need while keeping both staff and participants as safe as possible.
We encourage everyone to get vaccinated and get the booster as the best way to protect themselves and those in our community. Together we will be able to get through this pandemic.
With support from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, LIFE at RCIL worked with local individuals living with paralysis and local emergency management professionals to put together a new website with resources to help individuals living with paralysis, their families, and their caregivers plan and prepare for the types of emergencies that are most likely to occur in the Mohawk Valley region of New York. We hope you find these resources helpful!
*Click on the flyer image to open and view a digitally accessible version of this flyer.
CARES ACT, Independent Living (IL) Fund provides pandemic related financial assistance for independent living services/supplies/equipment, when no other funding can be found.
Living Independently is For Everyone at RCIL (LIFE at RCIL) is committed to assuring you have the services and support you need to live independently. Disruptions caused by the Pandemic pose additional and sometimes more significant challenges for individuals with disabilities who rely on home and community-based services to maintain that independence. If you are an individual with a disability or the parent of a child with a disability experiencing Pandemic-related disruptions due to school closures or loss of employment, you may be eligible to apply for CARES Act IL Funds. This assistance is intended to provide help, where no other source of funding for the needed service, supply, or equipment can be identified. 
If you are already working with an RCIL/LIFE staff person, let them know you are interested in hearing more about the CARES Act Fund and to complete an application if eligible. If you are not yet benefitting from services offered through our agency, including the CARES Act Fund, call one of our locations nearest you for more information and assistance.
- Utica – (315) 797-4642 and mention CARES Act
- Herkimer – Donna Gillette (315) 866-7245 Ext. 5800
- Amsterdam – Lisa Mastracco (518) 770-7636
COVID-19 Information for Employees
Under legislation signed by former Governor Cuomo, New York workers are guaranteed job protection and financial compensation while they are on a mandatory or precautionary quarantine order due to COVID-19. Please click on the button below for more information.
COVID Sick Leave for Employees
Please click on the button below for instructions on obtaining an order For Mandatory or Precautionary Quarantine Under Governor Cuomo’s New COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law.
Obtaining an Order of Quarantine
Independence is our mission.
Your life. Your decisions.
At the Resource Center for Independent Living (RCIL), we believe that to live independently you don't need permission, you need resources.
At RCIL, we provide real solutions to the personal, social or governmental barriers that may prevent your decisions from being respected and realized. We have three decades of experience in providing individually tailored advocacy, information, and training services.
RCIL believes that the widespread poverty, segregation, and isolation of people with disabilities is unacceptable, should not be tolerated, and requires change.
RCIL Ribbon-Cutting For Downtown Utica Headquarters 11/12/19
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