Disability Advocacy: Fighting Disability Discrimination

Disability Awareness Starts With Understanding

What Living Independently Means to Us

What does “living independently” mean? To us, living independently means we have the right to choose how we want to live.

Often people with disabilities lose this freedom of choice. They come up against barriers — both in the physical world and in the mindset of others. We want to tear down these barriers.

MyCIL (Northeast PA Center for Independent Living) works to make important changes in the lives of people with disabilities and their communities. We advocate in two ways: individual and system.

Representing You to Help Prevent Disability Discrimination

Individual Disability Advocacy

MyCIL provides individual advocacy for our clients. When you’re a MyCIL Client, we represent you, taking the steps needed for you to achieve independent living. That includes fighting for your rights and benefits, as well as resolving individual issues, such as those relating to disability discrimination.

If you are a MyCIL Client and have come up against a roadblock, we want to help. Through individual disability advocacy, we can ensure your deserved access to products, goods and services.

With our individual disability advocacy, you benefit from:

• Customized support — We provide individual disability advocacy customized to your unique needs and challenges. Whatever issues you are facing — from housing and transportation to receiving attendant care — we’ll advocate on your behalf. Self-determination is a basic human right, and our disability advocates work hard to ensure you can exercise it.

• Advocacy training — As your disability advocates, we also educate you on how best to advocate for yourself. With advocacy training, you are empowered to gain greater control of your life. You can also bring about positive change in your community.

If you have experienced disability discrimination in any form, contact us today at 1-800-344-7211. We will explain your rights and responsibilities under the law. Together, we’ll fight for your rights and stop disability discrimination from continuing.

Bringing Disability Awareness and Change to Our Communities

System Disability Advocacy

People with disabilities deserve greater independence. This is a critical social-justice issue.

When people with disabilities unite, their voices become more powerful. As more people speak out against the social issues we face, we can ignite meaningful change in our communities.

Through system disability advocacy, we are:

• Improving the communities we live in — MyCIL disability advocates work with the community to improve access to society and remove barriers of all types.

• Shaping policies and laws — Working with community leaders, politicians and advocacy groups, our disability advocates are making changes in the policies that affect people with disabilities. By supporting positive, disability-related legislation, we are making the world a better place for everyone.

• Protecting rights — Armed with a deep knowledge of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), we advocate on your behalf. On both the local and statewide level, our disability advocates ensure compliance. When compliance is not met, we work to make system changes.

• Improving resources — In collaboration with 18 other PA Centers for Independent Living, we advocate for increased funding at the state level. This funding fuels the services, resources and supports that are key to the lives of people with disabilities.