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| Letter From The DirectorWelcome to the VCIL Web siteOn this website we welcome you to the independent living movement and to our shared efforts to build opportunities for equal rights and full participation for all Vermonters with disabilities.This website describes some of our activities and services, offers links to state, national and international news and resources relating to independent living and disability rights, and has a place for your stories and recommendations. We would love to hear from you and welcome questions about our programs and/or suggestions of new resources and issues that you would like us to highlight. VCIL was not started as a social services program though we do offer services. It started, and continues, as a movement of Vermonters with different disabilities working together for equal rights and full citizenship. The founders of VCIL reached out to other individuals with disabilities, to legislators and policy makers, and to community partners. They helped found the state's Participant Directed Attendant Care Program, built a network of community leaders helping to organize and staff cross disability advocacy, and began the first nonprofit in Vermont founded and staffed primarily by individuals with disabilities. VCIL was created to offer information, peer support, education and leadership opportunities to individuals with disabilities who wanted to change their lives and their world around them. This work continues today and shapes our programs and services. Fortunately, many Vermonters and organizational partners are working with VCIL to make civil rights and equal opportunity a reality for individuals with disabilities of all ages in Vermont. We welcome your participation and thank you for your interest and support. Deborah Lisi-Baker, Executive Director |