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ABOUT
LIL
• Introduction • Independent
Living Philosophy • Tips
for Literacy Practitioners • Tips
for Disability Organizations • How
to Make Your Literacy Program Wheelchair Accessible • Tips
for Communicating with People who are Hard of Hearing • Tips
for Communicating with People with a Visual Impairment • Profiles
of Learners • Narrowing
the Gaps • Acknowledgements
• Independent Living Philosophy
•
What
does the "Independent Living" in Literacy for Independent Living mean?
Independent Living (IL) is a philosophy, a way of life and a movement in Canada
and around the world.
Since
the 1980s, Independent Living Resource Centres (ILRCs) in Canada have been run
by and for persons with a wide variety of disabilities. Using the IL philosophy
and approach, people with disabilities are empowered to make decisions that
affect their lives, to take risks and to become informed about their rights and
responsibilities. ILRCs have programs such as Peer Support and Individual
Advocacy in place so that this process can more easily happen.
People
with disabilities have lower levels of education, literacy and employment than
able-bodied Canadians. They are more likely to live in poverty and isolation,
and to face numerous barriers to participating in society.
ILRCs
support individuals to overcome barriers, such as the ones cited above. With
this support more persons with disabilities can become full citizens by
undertaking such activities as finding employment, applying for accessible
housing or becoming better informed on all the choices that they make in their
lives.
ILRCs
and CAILC develop and produce special projects on issues such as accessible
housing, direct funding for attendant services, employment, abuse and crime
prevention, parenting with a disability, social policy issues affecting persons
with disabilities and literacy. We often work in partnership with organizations
in the community. LIL is one example of a partnership in action.
To
find out more about who we are and what we do, we invite you to visit
CAILC and
ILRC Centre Locator.
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