Local winner of the 2008 Inglis Award for continuing excellence receives grant

Posted in Business, Community, News on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 12:34 pm by Community Editor Vivian Silvestri
Inglis Foundation, a non-profit that assists people with physical disabilities, honored the Center for Independent Living in Bucks County (CILBC), Langhorne, with a $20,000 grant. Pictured (from left), are Laura Schwanger, chair of the Inglis Awards for Continuing Excellence Review Committee, and CILBC Executive Director Ginny Fiorentine.

The Inglis Foundation works with people with physical disabilities to create and provide practical solutions so they may pursue their life goals. All of Inglis’ services and programs are designed to enable people with physical disabilities to enjoy life with the greatest amount of independence and mobility. For more information see www.inglis.org
story courtesy www.couriertimesnow.com

Comcast Newsmakers

Comcast Newsmaker highlights the CIL in an interview with Ginny Fiorentine. quicktime movie

BCCID Offers $2500 in Scholarships

The Bucks County Council for Individuals with Disabilities is offering five $500 scholarships this year. Based in Middletown, BCCID advocates for and helps people with disabilities improve their quality of life and secure and enjoy equal access while educating the community. Among its many goals, the council aims to provide grants to teachers, students, and organizations that support people with disabilities. For more information about BCCID, visit www.bccid.org. Four scholarships of $500 each will be awarded to students with disabilities at BCCC. In addition, BCCID sponsors the Mirca Liberti Scholarship, a $500 award given to a student majoring in a field of study that works closely with people with disabilities. Applications will be accepted until July 31.

For more information about these scholarships and to obtain an application, contact the Bucks County Community College Foundation at 215-968-8224 or foundation@bucks.edu, or visit www.bucks.edu/foundation.

Hale-Smith Open

download list of sponsors

Independence Day Arrives for the Center for Independent Living of Bucks County

Consumers, Elected Officials and Community Leaders
Attend Ribbon Cutting and Unveiling of Logo

(Langhorne, PA) Aug. 2  - Marking an extremely successful first year and the spin-off from the founding Delaware County organization, the Center for Independence Living of Bucks County joined elected officials, community leaders and, most importantly, people who receive services for a ribbon cutting ceremony and unveiling of the center’s logo today.

“I’m extremely proud that after opening only a few months ago we are making a significant impact in Bucks County,” said Elizabeth Hensil, Executive Director. “The ribbon cutting is an important step toward removing obstacles and empowering people with disabilities on their road towards independence.”

The Center for Independent Living of Bucks County (CIL of Bucks County) opened in October 2005 as a satellite office of the Freedom Valley Disability Center in Delaware County, which had been providing services in the county.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 85,000 people with disabilities live in Bucks County.

“This is an extremely proud day for me,” said Ann Cope, Executive Director of the Freedom Valley Disability Center which has been mentoring the Bucks County CIL.  “Being in Delaware County it was always difficult to fully provide services here.  Now there is an independent center in the county with an excellent staff that has already accomplished more in a short time than I could have possibly hoped.  With the passion of the staff and consumers, combined with the strong support of community organizations, elected officials and business leaders, Bucks County has the opportunity to become a model of success for Pennsylvania.”

Elizabeth Hensil added, “The reception we have received in Bucks County has been tremendous and we plan to continue making strides for yeas to come.  Already the center has tripled the number of consumers we hoped to reach during the start-up phase.  In addition, we have been asked to join advisory boards, advocacy groups, other non-profits, such as Bucks County Transport, and we’ve been invited to speak at community and business group meetings.”

Those attending the ceremony included: Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, Bucks County, State Senator “Tommy” Tomlinson, State Representative Tony Melio, Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley, and representatives from the Lower Bucks YMCA, Bucks County Transport, Bucks County TMA, League of Women’s Voters and Inglis House.

There are 17 Centers for Independent Living (CIL) in Pennsylvania and hundreds around the nation.  CIL’s are state or federally funded organizations with the main goal of enabling people with disabilities to live as independently as they choose.  The CIL of Bucks County has 5 employees, most of whom have disabilities, and the staff is expanding.

“When people call us it is often because the system has failed them,” said Hensil.  “By talking with someone else with a disability that is trained to help there is a greater sense of trust. 

“Each of our consumers has different goals and gets individual attention.  That could be providing information or assistance with accessing government programs, helping parents improve communication with school administrators, teaching daily living skills or referring them to more than 1,000 agencies and programs.”

“The CIL of Bucks County believes strongly in building positive relationships with community and business leaders.  With an estimated 85,000 people with disabilities in Bucks County there is much to be done and we have an ambitious plan.  When you consider the first of the Baby Boom Generation is nearing retirement and age-related disabilities, issues such as accessibility must be taken serious now more than ever.”

Logo Unveiling
During the ceremony, Elizabeth Hensil and consumer Jennifer Alivernini unveiled the CIL of Bucks County’s first official logo (a copy of the logo is enclosed in the media kit). The orange butterfly symbolizes the transformation from dependent to independence for consumers served by the CIL of Bucks County.

Future Activities
People with disabilities want to live the American dream.  That includes getting a good education, finding a job, going to work and other places and exercising their right to vote.  With those goals in mind, the Center for Independent Living of Bucks County has undertaken the following activities as part the 2006/2007 work plan which are briefly described below.

Voting
Starting with the 2006 general election, an advocacy initiative will ensure people with disabilities are registered to vote and that polling places are complying with the federal law outlined in the Help Americans Vote Act.

Public Transportation
The CIL of Bucks County is working with a number of agencies to identify transportation options for people with disabilities who live in communities where SEPTA service is not available.

Employment
The Pennsylvania Developmental Disability Council has awarded the CIL of Bucks County a grant to conduct an Employability Expo planned for Spring 2007.  The expo has two primary goals: prepare people for disabilities for employment and prepare employers to hire people with disabilities.

Skills Training Classes
In a few weeks, the first of more than a dozen classes will begin that will help consumers develop independent living skills.  The classes include: personal banking and finance, self advocacy, cooking, cleaning and using the public transportation system.

Photo Available
A high resolution photo of the ribbon cutting is available for media use here or upon request.

Definitions
A Center for Independent Living (CIL) is an organization that provides four core services to people with disabilities.  Covering the entire country, CILs are funded primarily by the federal and state governments.  As a CIL, the following services must be provided:  Information and Referral, Independent Living Skills Training, Peer Support and Advocacy.  While most CILs provide more than these services, the core services are the life blood of the organization.  The main goal of a CIL is enable people with disabilities live as independently as they choose.

Independent Living is a philosophy and lifestyle choice that all Americans aspire.  For people with disabilities, there are many hurdles in the way of this desire.  While most Americans strive to have a nice home and a good car to drive around their 2 children, people with disabilities are struggling to get to the grocery store or worse, out of a nursing home. Some people with disabilities choose to set up the services to get out of a nursing home or to get to the grocery store on a weekly basis.  Others choose to live with family and friends and rely on them for care.  Independent Living means the individual chooses the direction their life will take.

Person with a Disability is the accepted phrase for describing a person with a disability.  By putting the person first the disability becomes secondary.  Many people use “disabled person” when speaking of a person with a disability.  This suggests that he is a disability first and a person second.  By using “person first” language a person with cerebral palsy is just that, a person with cerebral palsy.  We ask that do not use phrases such as “suffers from”, “plagued with”, “confined to a wheelchair” or “wheelchair bound”.  These phrases promote a sense of weakness and dependence.  The words “handicapped” and “crippled” are unacceptable words to describe a person with a disability.

In the Independent Living Movement we refer to people that receive our services as consumers.  Over the past 20 years the disability community has come to embrace the word consumer in an attempt to rid themselves of the medical terms such as client and patient.

Please feel free to the contact the Center for Independent Living of Bucks County if you have any questions about the above topics.  We would be glad to provide you with more in depth information or clarification.  215-752-7101