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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
Equal Access Campaign
The Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC) and
the Westchester County Office for the Disabled have joined forces with the
Westchester County Human Rights Commission to launch an Equal Access Campaign
for People with Disabilities. The campaign will educate local businesses and
professionals in Westchester County about how they can/should make their places
of business accessible to people with disabilities and will assist the business
community toward compliance with the law. In addition to addressing the
physical barriers that restrict access to places of public accommodation, the
campaign will also focus on the attitudinal barriers that bar county residents
with disabilities from full inclusion.
In accordance with this objective, WILC will provide
local businesses and other commercial facilities with FREE site assessments of
their operations and compliance recommendations.
To read more about the Equal Access Campaign, click here.
To
listen to the Campaign's radio commercial, click here.
If you are interested in having your place of business
assessed, contact WILC at 914-682-3926 (Voice).
Equal Access - It's the
Right Thing to Do! |
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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. |
Upcoming Workshops
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THAT'S
LIFE! Session 1
High School to Post High School Transition Planning
for Students with Disabilities
Date: April 8, 2010
Time:
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Where: Westchester Independent Living Center
Presenters:CHRISTINA EISENBERG,
JOY DRUMMOND, LMSW, MAT,
BETTY LYNN
GANNON, BSW
Life - Session 1 brochure
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Education Rights and
Responsibilities
An Extensive In-Depth Training
for Parents of
Children with Special Needs
(Ages: Birth to 21 years old)
DATES/TIMES
Tuesday/Thursday
April 13,15,20,22,27,29
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
each day
View Ed Rights & Responsibilities Brochure
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THAT'S
LIFE! Session 2
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES - NOBODY'S GONNA STOP ME
NOW!
Date: April 22, 2010
Time 6:30 p.m. - 9:00
p.m.
Where: Westchester Independent Living Center
Presenters: CHRISTINA
EISENBERG
JOE BRAVO,
DIANA BURR
Life - session 2 Brochure |
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Would you need extra help in case of an
emergency?
Westchester County is putting together a list of
residents who may require additional assistance, transportation or a place to
stay in the event of a major emergency or disaster. If you are elderly or
disabled and would have trouble leaving your home quickly if told to do so, you
should sign up for the Special Needs Registry.
The Special Needs Registry will be shared with local
municipalities, as well as county, state and federal agencies that might be
involved in an emergency response. If there is an emergency in Westchester
County, these agencies would know who is in need and where to focus their
resources.
Call 211 to sign up for the Special Needs Registery or
click here to register on line.
To view the Special Needs Registry flyer, click
here. |
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