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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

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2023 Annual Conference Photos Now Available!

We are very happy to announce that the pictures from NCIL’s 2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living are now available on Flickr.

To download a photo for your records, click on the picture, then click the white downward arrow beneath it. Select the size you want, then save it to your device.

If you would like a specific photo added to the captioned collection, please provide a description of photo in the comments or email [email protected] with the link and a description. You can comment on photos using a Flickr / Yahoo account.

Special thanks to our photographer, Andrew Robertson! Read more about Andrew at https://bit.ly/45n3diH.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: 2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living

Dear Friends of NCIL,

The 2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living is scheduled for July 24-27, 2023, at the Grand Hyatt Washington.

Committed volunteers are critical to this conference’s success. We have wonderful incentives for those who put in volunteer hours.

[Read more…]

Registration Now Open: 2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living!

July 24-27 (Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC)

2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living Logo: Indivisible. Graphic features intersecting threads.
2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living Logo: Indivisible. Graphic features intersecting threads.

NCIL is excited to open registration for our 2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living! The theme of NCIL’s 2023 Annual Conference (ncil.org/ncil2023) is INDIVISIBLE.  

This summer, we will advocate together, unite as a movement, and fight against ableism and prejudice of all types.

We are bringing back NCIL’s iconic March and Rally. We will have many influential speakers and educational workshops. We’ll be making memories and making history. We hope you’ll join us.

[Read more…]

Make Nominations for the NCIL Board of Directors by May 19, 2023!

Dear NCIL Members:

NCIL will hold virtual elections for our Governing Board positions this year. NCIL members have an opportunity to nominate an individual to run for each of the following positions on the NCIL Board:

  • President,
  • Treasurer, 
  • three Member-At-Large positions, and
  • Representatives of Regions I, III, V, VII, IX (1, 3, 5, 7 & 9): ncil.org/regions.

If you or someone you know would be interested in running for the NCIL Board, please fill out the nomination form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W7V36LC.

Please carefully review the position descriptions and memorandum (ncil.org/ncil-board-nomination-process), as it will help in considering potential nominees. Also, make sure to share these resources with the individual you are nominating so that they have a clear understanding of what will be expected should they be elected.

[Read more…]

5 for 5: Independent Living Budget Increase Campaign Launch

February 13, 2023; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Eastern

Register online

Join NCIL as we launch our new advocacy campaign, 5 for 5! We are asking Congress for $500 million to support Independent Living Services. Join us to hear more about this effort and how you can help!

Agenda

  • Welcome
  • The importance of Centers for Independent Living to our community  
  • Current IL funding and appropriations process
  • How you can help!

Registration Fee: This event is free-of-charge and open to the public.

Visit our in-progress website: 5for5campaign.com or reach out to [email protected] for more information.

5 for 5 Logo: Fund Centers for Independent Living - 500 Million; 5 Core Services
5 for 5 Logo: Fund Centers for Independent Living – 500 Million; 5 Core Services

NCIL 2023 Annual Conference: Call for Proposals

2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living Logo: Indivisible. Graphic features intersecting threads.

July 24-27 (Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC)

NCIL is excited to announce our 2023 Annual Conference on Independent Living! The theme of this year’s conference is Indivisible. Our movement is Indivisible. We must advocate together for disability justice, unite with our allies, and fight against ableism and prejudice of all types.

NCIL’s Annual Conference is designed to provide peer support, organizing, advocacy, and learning opportunities. It is the largest Independent Living event of the year. NCIL regularly hosts over 1,000 people, including grassroots advocates, CIL and SILC leadership, members of Congress, government officials, and representatives from other organizations that work for justice and equity for people with disabilities.

This year’s conference will take place onsite in Washington, DC and will be archived and available online for those who cannot join us onsite. NCIL will host 25 workshops. Of those, twenty are reserved for in-person presentations. Five are reserved for presenters who will join us virtually. Those workshops will be streamed live at the Hyatt during the in-person conference.

[Read more…]

NCIL Welcomes Jessica Podesva as Director of Advocacy and Public Policy

We are pleased to announce that Jessica Podesva has joined NCIL staff in the position of Director of Advocacy and Public Policy. Prior to this role, Jessica worked at the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) as a Senior Community Organizer working primarily on healthcare and transportation issues, including improving Massachusetts’s non-emergency medical transportation program and working with the state’s Medicaid agency to shorten the timelines for wheelchair repairs.

Prior to working at BCIL, Jessica worked as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Greater Boston Legal Services, where she provided advocacy to ensure that people with disabilities had access to integrated and respectful healthcare in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jessica has a Juris Doctor degree from New England Law Boston and a B.A. in Communications from SUNY Plattsburgh.

Image: Jessica, a white woman with long brown hair and glasses, is standing in the Boston Common, smiling.
Jessica, a white woman with long brown hair and glasses, is standing in the Boston Common, smiling.

You’re Invited: White House Briefing for Americans with Disabilities

Source: White House

You are invited to a briefing for Americans with disabilities on Thursday, May 12 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement.

All are welcome! Please share with your email and social media networks.

ASL and CART will be provided.

Register for the call: https://pitc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_2kVivXBcQ6a_YCso7MkdwQ

Care Rationing Forum: Tuesday, November 16

With blue and brown colors, a graphic shows a line of coughing people entering a hospital, with a masked health care provider holding a clipboard with a question mark on it. Graphic text is available in this article.

Please join us for a Care Rationing Forum. We’ll discuss the impact of COVID care rationing on older people, disabled people, and people of color, and brainstorm how disability advocates around the country can take action.

Tuesday, November 16

  • 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST
  • 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. CST
  • 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. MST
  • 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PST

Sign up at https://bit.ly/CareRationingForum.

Speakers:

  • Reyma McCoy McDeid, National Council on Independent Living
  • Mel Leviton, Idaho State Independent Living Council;
  • Silvia Yee, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)

Event will include live captioning, ASL and Spanish interpretation. Please make a note of other needed languages or accommodations on the registration form.

This event is part of the Disability Organizers Forum, a project of the National Disability Leadership Alliance. Co-sponsored by Senior & Disability Action.

#DontRationOurCare #NoBodyIsDisposable #EndAbleism #EndAgeism

Please share widely.

NCIL Policy Briefing Archive Now Available!

On Wednesday, July 14, 2021; NCIL held its 16th Annual Policy Briefing.

At this briefing, the Chairs of key NCIL Legislative & Advocacy (L&A) Subcommittees discussed NCIL’s legislative priorities and Advocacy Priorities Guide. They also provided talking points to prepare conference attendees for their virtual Hill meetings on Thursday, July 22.

Archive

Materials

Briefing Presentation

Advocacy Priorities Guide (Summer 2021)