A “Cross-Disability” Resource Center.
To contact us call Toll Free (800) 265-5724
A “Cross-Disability” Resource Center. To contact us call Toll Free (800) 265-5724 |
|
About Us The history of the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida (CILNCF) involves 25 years of service by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. The CILNCF is a consumer driven, community based, non-residential, 501(C)(3) private not-for-profit organization headquartered in Gainesville, Florida. The CILNCF serves 16 counties in the North Central Florida region from (4) four locations. We are a consumer-controlled organization and have at least 51% people with disabilities comprising our governing board of directors as well as staff. Our center delivers the four-core services of Advocacy, Information and Referral, Peer Support, and Independent Living Skills Education. The center has several other programs complimenting the four-core services. We provide services through partnerships with the Department of Education, the Department of Health, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program, The Able Trust, The Brain Injury Association, as well as the Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Levy, Marion and Putnam County School Boards. In addition we are presently the only coordinator of sign language interpreting services for Alachua and surrounding counties and have on staff, a highly qualified sign language interpreter. The CILNCF is also partnered with Florida Telecommunications and Relay, Inc. (FTRI) and is the designated Regional Distribution Center (RDC) of specialized telecommunications equipment. With this program the CILNCF provides communication access to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind, and speech-impaired residing in North Central Florida. Other services provided by the CILNCF include disability awareness training, travel training, and ADA Paratransit Screening services and more. The Center also operates an Employment Services Program in partnership with the Department of Education, Vocational Rehabilitation Services. We currently are contracted for Vocational Evaluations, Supported and Competitive Employment Services. The Competitive and Supported Employment programs focus on job development and placement, increasing employability skills, and assuring long-term success on the job. The CILNCF is able to provide job coaching to each consumer to assure success. We have been successful in placing individuals with significant disability into meaningful employment with a majority of those individuals placed, obtaining jobs above minimum wage and with benefits. The Area and Population served by the CILNCF is very diverse. We provide all of our services at no cost to consumers with disabilities residing within a 16 county region in North Central Florida that includes: Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee, and Union counties. |