Services

The Center for Independent Living (CIL)

5 Core Services:

• Advocacy – starts with education. The CIL is dedicated to assisting consumers in knowing and expressing their rights through self-advocacy. In addition to individual advocacy we also promote systems advocacy that will benefit the entire community.
• Information and Referral – allows consumers to use a network of resources and partners to support them in everyday living. The CIL can assist with information about who to contact in areas such as; housing, advocacy, transportation, employment, assistive technology, and many others.
• Skills Training – provided by the CIL to assist a person in achieving their independent living goals. Examples might be money management, basic computer skills, cooking, how to use public transit, resume building, etc.
• Peer Support – is one-on-one or group interaction where individuals with a disability are supported and empowered by someone with a similar life experience.
• Transition – includes most major life changes, such as youth with disabilities moving from high school to college or into the workforce; or returning to the community from institutional living. We offer an Employment Network that includes the Ticket to Work, Social Security’s voluntary free program to encourage people ages 18 to 64 who receive SSDI and/or SSI to return to work. It expands the job services available and provides additional protections to people’s disability benefits such as keeping your Medicaid or Medicare, as incentives to attempt to return to work.  The CIL can provide support in these times of big changes to make the transition as successful as possible.