Independent Living

Letters to the Editor Campaign

By Mandy Smith | September 14, 2011

The Resource Center for Independent Living is partnering with Centers for Independent Living(CILs) all across Kansas in a Letters to the Editor campaign coordinated by the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas(SILCK). I have drafted 9 sample letters for advocates and consumers to use as inspiration for their own letters covering a range of topics.…

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Home & Community Based Services Rally

By Mandy Smith | September 12, 2011

Saturday Sept. 10th dozens of advocates gathered at the Statehouse in support of Home and Community Based Services, independent living in Kansas for people with disabilities, and (although it was unplanned) Consumer Run Organizations(CROs) for people with mental illness. The Topeka Independent Living Resource Center and Kansas ADAPT sponsored and held the rally with speakers…

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Upcoming Advocacy Rally

By Mandy Smith | August 24, 2011

  On Saturday, September 10th Topeka Independent Living Resource Center (TILRC) and Kansas ADAPT are teaming up to host a rally on the steps of the Statehouse from 1:00pm-2:30pm. The Rally is in support for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services. These services are imperative for Kansans with disabilities to remain in their homes and…

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Doing More: RCIL and FMS

By Mandy Smith | August 2, 2011

There are lots of changes taking place within our state and Home and Community Based Services are not immune. One of the major areas of change is Payroll Services. RCIL is a current Payroll provider for HCBS Waivers; on November 1st, those Payroll services will become Financial Management Services (FMS) and RCIL is ready to…

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Coming Soon! 2011 Disability Caucus

By Mandy Smith | May 20, 2011

“Fan the Flame” The 12th Kansas Disability Caucus will be held in Topeka on August 10, 11, and 12 with a Pre-Conference on August 9 and 10 provided by ikan that will focus on providing Independent Living services to individuals who are blind or have low vision. Individuals throughout the state with all types of…

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Advocacy Alert! April 28th

By Mandy Smith | April 27, 2011

Tomorrow April 28th, the Resource Center for Independent Living will unite at the Kansas Statehouse with Kansans for Quality Communities members to urge our Legislators to do what’s right for Kansans. You can read about this Action on the Kansas Health Institute site here. We will be spreading the “Save Our State” message which has…

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Urgent: Advocacy Needed!

By Mandy Smith | March 11, 2011

  While everyone was hopeful that the current fiscal year’s budget Rescission bill would be worked out between the House and Senate yesterday, that did not happen. Today Governor Brownback advised that he will cut $56 million from the current budget. He has not yet specified where that money would come from but indicated he…

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Employment in the Disability Community

By Mandy Smith | January 3, 2011

This blog entry was adapted from information provided by the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas (SILCK) Through the dedicated work of the Centers for Independent Living (CILs), a significant change has taken place in terms of the cost of persons with disabilities who are employed and those who remain unemployed. KU conducted a five…

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Centers for Independent Living

By Mandy Smith | December 29, 2010

This blog entry was adapted from information provided by the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas (SILCK) RCIL is one of 13 Centers for Independent Living (CIL) in Kansas. The expenditure for CILs across the state is approximately $2.7M federal and state funds. For over 30 years, CILs have helped thousands of Kansans with disabilities…

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5 Reasons Kansas Shouldn’t Cut Home and Community Based Services

By Mandy Smith | December 18, 2010

Kansas is facing tough economic times, as we confront budget shortfalls, some are looking to cut Medicaid benefits, including home and community based services (HCBS). Home and community based services are vital to helping seniors and people with disabilities stay in their communities and out of institutions. If home and community based services cuts are…

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Access to Assets – Changing the economic expectations of people with disabilities

By Mandy Smith | December 10, 2010

Every time we turn on the television or open up a newspaper, we are bombarded with news of the bad economy. It seems as though most people are in survival mode when it comes to finances and asset building isn’t their top priority; however, at a recent conference session about a program called Access to…

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Visitability

By Mandy Smith | December 1, 2010

  Last summer I was going to have a birthday party at my house for my 1 year-old. I was so excited that I started all these lists to make sure everything was in order. I had a list of people to invite, a list of food to buy and prepare and a list of…

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Independent Living in Kansas

By Mandy Smith | November 23, 2010

As a Center for Independent Living (CIL), RCIL is committed to working with Kansans with disabilities to enable them to live independently in their homes and communities. But what exactly does that mean? In Kansas, Centers for Independent Living are tasked with providing 5 core services. They are Information and Referral, Peer Counseling, Independent Living…

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