NYAIL Newsletter for January

Welcome to NYAIL News

We're bringing back NYAIL News. The newsletter will cover ILC stories, advocacy updates, and information for New York's independent living community. This newsletter is free and for public distribution. Please share!

Living at Home, NOT in a Home Campaign is Officially Launched.

A campaign to educate the public and elected officials on living at home and not an institution is underway. The campaign comes as part of an effort by those in independent living to save people from deadly and dangerous institutional environments.

The campaign is mostly virtual with a website at nyliveathome.org that describes the current problems with congregate settings and benefits of independent living, asks people to advocate by sending a message, and puts people in touch with a local ILC for assistance to transition out of an institution.

NYAIL's phone number is prominently featured, an interactive map displays the ILCs with contact information, and a contact form is also available.

View the campaign press release.

A senior black woman wearing a face mask and sitting on a sofa in a home living room. Text underneath her Nobody wants to live in a nursing home especially now. Independent Living Centers provide services to more than 110000 individuals

An image from the campaign's social media toolkit.

Text underneath the image reads, "Nobody wants to live in a nursing home, especially now! Independent Living Centers provide services to more than 110,000 individuals with disabilities, their families, and others annually. Visit www.NYLiveAtHome.org to find out more!"

ILCs are continuing to bring media attention to the issues raised by the campaign while also providing essential assistance and services.

One of several op-eds planned as part of the statewide campaign is, "Nursing home system's problems extend far beyond COVID" by NYAIL Executive Director, Lindsay Miller and published in the Times Union in New York's Capital Region.

"... it is time to find solutions for New Yorkers that do not put them in dangerous situations and, instead, allow our elderly and/or disabled family members and neighbors to live their lives in comfort and safe surroundings with dignity and hope." Read more here.

Keep an eye out for more op-eds and media stories.

Advocacy Updates

NYAIL's Virtual Budget Advocacy Week will give us an opportunity to come together as a community and educate the legislature. New York is facing a massive deficit due in part to the pandemic. This is going to be another difficult budget year. We will need the entire network to help us educate the legislature about the crucial role ILCs play in the lives of people with disabilities, and the critical importance of funding our most essential services! The event is being held in collaboration with the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State (CDPAANYS). Meetings with legislators can be scheduled throughout the advocacy week.

The opening program will begin at 9 a.m. on February 8th.
Please contact your local ILC for opportunities to participate in advocacy.

Click here to see the 2021 Disability Priority Agendas

Click here to register for the Budget Advocacy Week opening program.

ILC Spotlight

Highlighting the innovative work of New York's ILCs.

CDPA Attendant Vaccination.

From the Center for Disability Rights.

This webpage from CDR outlines information to get CDPA attendants the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is one resource that was suggested to us and an important step to saving lives.

CDR CDPAS Vaccination Webpage

A screenshot of CDRs webpage on cdpa vaccination

An inside look at ARISE's

Adaptive Design Workshop.

Identifying solutions to access and full participation in a wide range of activities and settings. The design solutions are driven by the unique needs and interests of the design user.

Follow ARISE Adaptive Design on Facebook.

View the program webpage.

Click here or the image to view the video.

Click here for a list of New York's Independent Living Centers.

The New York Association on Independent Living administers several statewide and regional programs in collaboration with its member ILCs, all of which are focused on helping people with disabilities live independently in the community.

Learn more by visiting a program linked below or visit our website: ilny.us/programs