As shared from our colleagues at Access Living...
Dear Access Living friends and allies,
As a Center for Independent Living (CIL), Access Living is part of a national network of 403 CILs, 330 CIL branch offices and 56 Statewide Independent Living Councils (remember we have the District of Columbia as well as the five inhabited U.S. territories). We have 23 CILs in Illinois alone.
Right now, the CIL network is at a critical moment because Congress is considering the reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which among other things authorizes the formula grant funding for Centers for Independent Living. In Fiscal Year 2012, Illinois CILs as a group received more than $3 million through Rehab Act formula funding. The Rehab Act reauthorization is part of a bigger bill, the Workforce Investment Act.
Additionally, there have long been significant problems with how the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees and evaluates CILs. Our national CIL network, led by the National Council on Independent Living (www.ncil.org), is fighting to establish a new Independent Living Administration (ILA) that would do a better job of oversight. We also want our Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) to actually be free to do advocacy work---they are currently prohibited from doing so.
So, we need to communicate with our Senators---particularly Senator Kirk---since he is on the Senate HELP Committee which is the first step in this process. We expect the bill to move quickly so your communication to Kirk THIS WEEK is essential. Kirk is the priority but please also feel free to contact Senator Durbin. Here is what you can say:
Go to: http://www.kirk.senate.gov/
Click on Contact
Then click on Comment on Legislation and fill in your name and address and your message.
To contact Senator Durbin:
Call him at his DC office at: 202-224-2152 or go to his website and send him a message as follows:
Go to: http://www.durbin.senate.gov/
Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the home page- in the middle of the bottom you will see "Contact Senator Durbin"
Click on it.
Scroll down to see an email format. Fill in your name and address and your message.
Your support on this will be MUCH APPRECIATED by all the CILs in Illinois and nationwide! Help us make independent living better, today.
Amber Smock
Director of Advocacy, Access Living
# # #
For Access Living website: CLICK HERE
For the National Council on Independent Living website: CLICK HERE
Dear Access Living friends and allies,
As a Center for Independent Living (CIL), Access Living is part of a national network of 403 CILs, 330 CIL branch offices and 56 Statewide Independent Living Councils (remember we have the District of Columbia as well as the five inhabited U.S. territories). We have 23 CILs in Illinois alone.
Right now, the CIL network is at a critical moment because Congress is considering the reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which among other things authorizes the formula grant funding for Centers for Independent Living. In Fiscal Year 2012, Illinois CILs as a group received more than $3 million through Rehab Act formula funding. The Rehab Act reauthorization is part of a bigger bill, the Workforce Investment Act.
Additionally, there have long been significant problems with how the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees and evaluates CILs. Our national CIL network, led by the National Council on Independent Living (www.ncil.org), is fighting to establish a new Independent Living Administration (ILA) that would do a better job of oversight. We also want our Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) to actually be free to do advocacy work---they are currently prohibited from doing so.
So, we need to communicate with our Senators---particularly Senator Kirk---since he is on the Senate HELP Committee which is the first step in this process. We expect the bill to move quickly so your communication to Kirk THIS WEEK is essential. Kirk is the priority but please also feel free to contact Senator Durbin. Here is what you can say:
“Hello, my name is ______ and I live in _______. I am a concerned disability advocate calling to urge Senator _______ to support the draft Workforce Investment Act, which provides for the creation of an Independent Living administration. Please support this because it is really important to people with disabilities who want to live in the community.”You can contact Senator Kirk by calling his DC office at: 202-224-2854 or go to his website and send him a message as follows:
Go to: http://www.kirk.senate.gov/
Click on Contact
Then click on Comment on Legislation and fill in your name and address and your message.
To contact Senator Durbin:
Call him at his DC office at: 202-224-2152 or go to his website and send him a message as follows:
Go to: http://www.durbin.senate.gov/
Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the home page- in the middle of the bottom you will see "Contact Senator Durbin"
Click on it.
Scroll down to see an email format. Fill in your name and address and your message.
Your support on this will be MUCH APPRECIATED by all the CILs in Illinois and nationwide! Help us make independent living better, today.
Amber Smock
Director of Advocacy, Access Living
# # #
For Access Living website: CLICK HERE
For the National Council on Independent Living website: CLICK HERE
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