Be a part of the conversation! Vermont’s sole congressional seat is open and it is vital that you are part of the process. The Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) and Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL) are holding a congressional forum on Tuesday, July 26 from 1:15-2:45 at the Capitol Plaza (also via zoom, link coming soon), followed by a… Continue Reading Congressional Forum
The Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL) intends to apply to the USDA Rural Development for a grant to provide assistance to approximately 15 low-income Vermont homeowners for home repairs/access modifications in the following counties: Caledonia, Essex and Orleans. The process for selection of recipients for home repairs/access modifications will be by application to VCIL at 11 East State Street,… Continue Reading Notice of Pre-Application and Statement of Activities – USDA Rural Development Grant
Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have: • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood( • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system • Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking… Continue Reading Who Needs an Additional COVID-19 Vaccine?
by Ericka Jones, Peer Advocate Counselor Prom season is the period between April and June in the United States. High school students start preparing for their prom in April and then the conversation tends to die down in June after prom is held. As this season starts to infiltrate social media posts, so does an influx of posts depicting the… Continue Reading VCIL Statement Against Inspiration and ‘Promposals’
Hire qualified candidates with disabilities who come to you for job opportunities and learn about the different ways to accommodate workers with disabilities. Ask your town officials to redesign sidewalks to eliminate single step entrances in your town. Remember to make accessibility changes when you do a major renovation of a place the public uses. Make your domestic violence shelter,… Continue Reading How You Can Honor the ADA
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed deep-rooted structural inequalities in the U.S. Immense, historic and racialized inequity in health and health care and the near-invisible “essential workers” that makes everyone’s daily lives possible. Who is “essential?” Who is invisible? What rights do people have to safety and dignity in the workplace? Who is considered expendable? These issues are not new for… Continue Reading New Report Shines Light on Workers with Disabilities
The Vermont Center for Independent Living has added three new members to its team. Two of them, Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie and Cara Sachs, will devote a significant amount of time to COVID-19 response and the third, Laura Siegel, will serve as VCIL’s Deaf Independence Program coordinator. Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie of Colchester began in early August as VCIL’s independent living coordinator.… Continue Reading VCIL Welcomes New Staff Members
The “Working with Disability: Toward a Truly Inclusive Vermont Labor Force” report is complete! We are proud to have worked with many amazing project partners on this report, including: Diane Dalmasse and James Smith of the Vermont Division for Vocational Rehabilitation; Fred Jones of the Vermont Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Kirsten Murphy of the Vermont Developmental Disabilities… Continue Reading Working with Disability
The Vermont Center for Independent Living, a statewide disability rights group, is seeking applicants in the state of Vermont who may be eligible for projects under a U.S. Department of Agriculture Housing Preservation Grant. Applicants should be homeowners with a permanent physical disability looking to improve the accessibility of their home with an exterior ramp and/or a bathroom modification, such… Continue Reading Applicants Sought for Housing Preservation Grant
