Individual Advocacy
Do you know that one of the five Core Services that RCIL offers is Advocacy? RCIL offers two forms of advocacy services and they are individual advocacy and system advocacy. Individual advocacy services help people with disabilities develop the skills they need to represent themselves. These skills help them act on their own behalf to…
KanCare wants your thoughts on their program that was started January 1, 2013. There will be two meetings on the same day in each of the city they visit. Meetings will be in the afternoon and evening. You can come anytime between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM for the afternoon meeting and anytime between 6:00 PM…
“The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy, and the disabled.” – Hubert H. Humphrey Reflect on those words for a…
With the new year comes a new Legislative session in Kansas. The 2012 Session starts on Monday January 9th at 2:00pm and promises to be a busy one. The disability community will be closely watching as the Administration and the Legislature take on huge items including an expected Executive Order re-organizing SRS, the Medicaid…
I talk to people a lot about the proud history of the disability community in Kansas. The progress that was made in the state by dedicated advocates placed Kansas in the forefront on disability rights. We have constructed a system that, while not perfect, works to empower Kansans with disabilities, helps them acquire gainful…
I solicited ideas for this blog post from our followers on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks to @Wayne2poles for the topic regarding how people with disabilities can live alone and can afford it. Being gainfully employed is the best way to be able to afford to live independently. Not only does it allow you to bring…
The Big Tent Coalition and Kansans for Quality Communities are teaming up to bring Town Hall meetings to towns across Kansas. The purpose is to “discuss the impact of continuing budget cuts on vital state services and the ramifications of eliminating the Kansas income tax.” The Resource Center for Independent Living is working to ensure…
As we edge closer to winter, the leaves are changing and falling, the air is cooler, and the days are shorter. These are expected changes we prepare for each year. This year, Kansans with disabilities are experiencing many other changes. There is a new administration in Kansas state government and in SRS, over the last…
Last Friday a new advocacy group named Kansans United in Voice and Spirit held their first rally at the Statehouse. The turnout was good as far as such things go with a little over 250 people present on a cold and damp day. The group’s website states that they are “Concerned citizens of Kansas…
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.…
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…
On Tuesday January 25th from 5:00pm-7:00pm, the Big Tent Coalition is hosting a Legislative Reception. It will be held in Topeka in the Florentine Room of Jayhawk Towers at 700 SW Jackson. This will be an excellent time for members of the disability community to come together and mingle with their elected representatives. We encourage…
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…