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The Westchester
Independent Living Center, Inc. (WILC) is a not-for-profit, community-based
advocacy and resource center that serves people with all types of disabilities.
It is part of a national network of centers that provide a wide spectrum of
non-residential and non-medical services. These services are designed by,
directed by, and in most cases, delivered by qualified disabled individuals.
The scope of the services is directed by individual and community needs.
WILC's mission is
two-pronged: 1) to assist individuals with disabilities become as
independent as they can be and 2) to work within the community to
provide Education, Disability Awareness, and Advocacy for the Removal of
Barriers.
WILC’s main office is
located in White Plains, NY -
Westchester County’s County Seat. WILC’s satellite office, Putnam
Independent Living Services (PILS), is located in Carmel, NY - Putnam County’s County
Seat.
This website is designed to provide information
about WILC, its Programs and Services, Independent Living in general, and
legislation and issues that concern people with disabilities. It also contains
hundreds of links to disability-related publications, webzines, and
organizations, also government sites, national media sites, holiday sites, etc.
Your reactions are welcomed. Please feel free to send us your comments and
questions
Workshops |
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April 2011 to |
- March 29, 2011 - Lay Advocacy Graduate Network
Meeting Brian Hollander, CAP Coordinator, Westchester Independent Living
Center, Presenting on VESID Services-
at Action Toward Independence,
Middletown, Orange County
(For Lay Advocacy Graduates
only)
3-29-11 Brochure
- Monday, April 4, 2011 - BEYOND THE BASICS OF
THE CSE PROCESS!
Presenters: TheMcMahon Advocacy Group
Flier with complete information for 4-4-11
There is
no fee. Please RSVP, if possible.
- April 8, 9, 10, 2011 at 5:30pm; 9:00am;
9:00am, respectively, at Westchester Independent Living Center, White Plains,
NY
– Parent Training, in collaboration with Deaf / Blind
Collaborative at Westchester Independent Living Center
- May 19, 2011 - Presenting on Understanding The
CSE Process
- Isabel Hershkowitz, Parent Training Coordinator, PILS
&
Beth Kipperman, Education Advocate, Volunteer Counseling Services-
at Rockland County Health Department
Call Putnam ILS for more
info
- May 23, 2011 - Presenting on Understanding
Transition
- Isabel Hershkowitz, Parent Training Coordinator, PILS &
Joyce Hawk, Outreach Coordinator,
HVSEPC, with Pine Bush Septa,
Circleville, NY, Orange County
Call Putnam ILS for more info
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Collaboration is the Key
To Future
Success
The Independent Living Network of New
York, Inc. – IL Network NY – is a new membership
organization which has been created to increase opportunities for people with
disabilities in New York State. The founding members are Independent Living
Centers throughout the State who provide services to people of all ages with
all disabilities – physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, and multiple
disabilities. The Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC) is proud to be
one of the founding members of IL Network NY and WILC’s
Executive Director, Joe Bravo, is the Chair.
IL Network NY’s
mission is to increase opportunities for people with disabilities by growing
the capacity, financial resources, and collaborative power of ILCs in New York
State. IL Network NY sees collaboration between its member
centers and other non-for-profit organizations who serve persons with
disabilities as the key to not only surviving, but thriving, in the current
economy and being able to continue to provide services to consumers. IL
Network NY is currently looking to identify collaborative partners and
coalitions for innovative joint funding opportunities and/or collaborative
coalitions to join or initiate that will benefit people served by all of the
involved partners.
For more information, check out the IL Network
NY’s website |
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New ADA
Regulations are Now In Effect
The Department of Justice's revised Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, which apply to businesses of all sizes that
serve the public, took effect on March 15th.
The amended regulations contain many new or revamped
provisions on general nondiscrimination policies. The new nondiscrimination
provisions, except for those addressing hotel reservations, take effect
immediately. Compliance with the hotel reservation provisions is not required
until March 15, 2012. The rules also include the 2010 Standards for Accessible
Design (2010 Standards), which provide new and revised technical requirements
for building accessibility. Newly constructed and altered facilities must be
built in compliance with the 2010 Standards beginning March 15, 2012.
The Department has developed a
guide to assist small businesses to understand their obligations under the
revised rules. ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business is an illustrated
guide with easy-to-understand language that provides an overview for complying
with the revised regulations.
This publication is available at
www.ADA.gov/
We encourage everyone to pass on this information and
to call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice) or
800-514-0383 (TTY) with any questions regarding the revised regulations.
We have also updated our
Disability
Law Index with the Department of Justice's new ADA Title II & Title
III regulations that have now come into effect. The index was also updated to
include the regulations that will become effective March 15, 2012.
The Disability Law Index contains federal statutes,
regulations organized by subject and include court case opinions, and legal
articles that help interpret federal disability-related laws. To view our index
click on the link above or you can copy & paste the following link into
your browser:
swdbtac.org/html/topical/index.html . |
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The DBTAC Southwest ADA
Center is a program of ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization), at TIRR
Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas. The DBTAC is funded by a grant
(H133A060091) from the Department of Education's
National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research(NIDRR). |
WILC Opens
Outreach Office
The Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC) is
proud to announce that it has opened an Outreach Office at Pathways to Success
– a dynamic intergeneration public school in the heart of downtown
Yonkers.
One of the original ILCs in NYS, WILC has been
providing services to people of all ages with all types of disabilities for 29
years. Prominent among WILC's services are its Minority Outreach, Partners for
Success, and Educational Advocacy Programs. These 3 Programs are combining
their efforts at this new office to outreach to a largely immigrant population
facing cultural and language barriers and who are from economically
disadvantaged households and considered to be at significant risk.
Bi-lingual and ethnically diverse WILC staff members
are providing information and supports that will assist individuals with
disabilities to better understand themselves and define and pursue a desired
future, i.e., work, education, housing, etc. They are also assisting parents of
children with special needs to make informed decisions about educational
rights, choices, responsibilities, and long-term outcomes; providing effective
linkages to disability services, supportive employment services, health care,
mental health treatment, and others; and providing support for adults/seniors,
which focuses on their issues assimilating into the culture. All services are
being provided in a culturally appropriate manner. A special focus is being
place on assisting and supporting youthful offenders and high-risk youth with
disabilities who are at continuing risk of gang involvement.
For more information on these or other WILC Programs,
call (914) 682-3926. |
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