Privilege and Purpose with Dr. Bea Awoniyi

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Dr. Bea Awoniyi is the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at Santa Fe College, overseeing the disability resource center, serves as Ombudsperson, and helps to oversee grant awards among many other different aspects of her role. Dr. Awoniyi has a long career in higher education, previously having worked in other universities at their disability resource centers and serving in vast leadership roles. She is a member of the Association on Higher Education And Disability and together with her colleagues, they work to better understand what they need to do, with the national organization so that they can bring individuals from the minority population to the table.

In this episode, Tony and Dr. Awoniyi talk through how to navigate our identities in a healthy way, that integrates our social and environment context, in the way we live our lives. They dive into an important discussion in reflecting about who we are, understanding our purpose, and if we have the means- how can we give back.

Contact Information:
bea.awoniyi@sfcollege.edu
352-395-5513

SPEAKERS: Bea Awoniyi, Tony Delisle

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Advocacy and Funding for JPPAS Program

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This week we bring you a very special episode from our Independent Life community of advocates who join us to share their personal stories in an effort to demonstrate the human and economic return on investing in the JPPAS program. This will be accomplished  through meeting several of the recipients of the program and learning why JPPAS has been so instrumental in achieving their dreams and Independent Living goals. Whether you’ve been following along on our journey from day one or are just joining us today, we encourage you to contact key senate and representative decision makers to advocate for increase funding for the program for its sustainability and future growth to add more people onto it. 

The James Patrick Memorial Work Incentive Personal Assistant Services program provides financial assistance to persons who are gainfully employed and have severe or chronic disabilities that require assistance from a personal care attendant (PCA) for at least 2 activities of daily living such as self-care, including ambulation, bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, and toileting, and other similar tasks. The program is primarily funded by the Tax Collection Enforcement Diversion program which provides the deliquent tax owner an opportunity to pay back the taxes instead of being prosecuted and serving time in jail.

Do you qualify for the program?

Guests:

SPEAKERS: Jane Johnson, Tony Delisle, Carey Larabee, Dug Jones, Mark Brisbane, Christina Martin, Salim Nasser

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The Amazing Give Workday Edition has come to an end!

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Thanks to your tremendous support, the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida has raised over $6,000! Given the hardships faced by our community during the COVID-19 pandemic, our housing, employment, and youth programs are needed now more than ever. This incredible gift will make such a difference to our organization and the consumers we serve.

If you missed The Amazing Give Workday Edition and didn’t get a chance to donate, don’t fret! Our Amazing Give page will be LIVE and accepting donations until Sunday, April 25th, closing at midnight.

For a glimpse into what your donation dollars help make possible, here is a story from our Employment Program:

Kenneth Warren is one of CIL’s outstanding consumers! He has undergone the process of solidifying a job for a secured income, and CIL has taken the honor to guide Mr. Warren within this process of employment. Kenneth is an individual who is Deaf and received interpreting services through Vocational Rehabilitation, while CIL has assisted in developing employment through their employment services program. Moreover, Mr. Warren recently needed support in purchasing work attire for his new job, so CIL made the effort to provide these needs for Mr. Warren. CIL is proud and inspired by Mr. Warren’s astounding dedication and work-ethic! Mr. Warren is one of many consumers our Employment Program serves on a daily basis!

From the bottom of our hearts, the CILNCF thanks you for another successful Amazing Give and we look forward to your support next year!

Brave Spaces with Ciawanda McDonald

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Ciawanda McDonald is the Executive Director of Disability Solutions for Independent Living, covering Volusia and Flagler County. She is a voice for the independent living movement, in terms of equity, diversity, and intersectionality, spearheading a group comprised of folks throughout the state to advance the conversations related to equity for all groups of people with disabilities. She unpacks the important things that are needed to be know in having these conversations, what are the terms, what’s the context, and what’s the conversations being had, how does it conceptualized, and why its important to really understand who we are, our awareness of ourselves, our implicit biases. Ciawanda discusses addressing the fears we have when entering into these conversations, how to overcome them, how does it all tied back to the independent living movement, and how we can do better to serve better for the people that we’re charged with serving and providing.

Some of the work they done at the centers is creating brave spaces that encourages a dialogue that recognizes differences and holds a person accountable for what it is that they do or say and sharing experiences. Within these work groups, participants share their own experiences, have conversations, and work on how to make the centers for independent living more diverse and more equitable for others.

Disability Solutions for Independent Living, Inc.
119 South Palmetto Avenue, Suite 180
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
386-255-1812  Fax:  386-255-1814
TTY: 386-252-6222
www.dsil.org
info@dsil.org

SPEAKERS: Ciawanda McDonald, Tony Delisle

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The Amazing Give is HERE!

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The Amazing Give Workday Edition has officially begun!

We have from 7am to 7pm to raise funds to support our housing, employment, and youth programs! We are confident that we are capable of our best fundraising year yet–but we can’t do it without your incredible support! Please continue to spread the word and share our Amazing Give page. You can still make your own shareable fundraising page too! You can do so by clicking on the Fundraising button next to Donate on our page. Each action you take and donation you make gets us one step closer to meeting our goal. We truly appreciate all that you do!

Stay tuned for updates as The Amazing Give Workday Edition unfolds!

Together, we will do something amazing!

#TheAmazingGive #DoSomethingAmazing #WhyIGiveGNV

The Amazing Give is TOMORROW!

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We are now less than 24 hours away from the Amazing Give Workday Edition!

For the sixth year in a row, the Center for Independent Living will be participating in The Amazing Give, an online fundraiser for local non-profit organizations hosted by the Community Foundation of North Central Florida. The donations raised through this event are an essential part of supporting our organization, and this year we are setting a goal of $10,000 — and we know we can reach it with your help!

This year, your generous donations will go directly towards our
housing, employment, and youth programs!

Four prizes of $500 will be given throughout the giving day to participating nonprofits mentioned in a post from community supporters using #WhyIGiveGNV on Facebook. The post can contain a video, a photo or a quote. The #WhyIGiveGNV must be used. Paid employees or consultants working at a participating nonprofit are encouraged to participate, however, will not be eligible to win. The post must be on an individual or business profile. This starts on April 22nd at 7am.

Every hour of the Amazing Give Workday, one lucky giver will receive a Golden Ticket from the Community Foundation which represents $100 they will give away to the participating nonprofit of their choice. The winner will be alerted by email and must respond before 7pm on April 22nd.

You can access our Amazing Give page by clicking on the graphic below. Thank you so much for your support!

#TheAmazingGive #DoSomethingAmazing

Click the image for access to our Amazing Give page.
  • #WhyIGiveGNV
  • Golden Ticket

High School High Tech to benefit from Amazing Give donations!

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Today we are highlighting one of our alumni students who participated in our youth program, High School High Tech (HSHT), one of the programs that will benefit from your Amazing Give donations!

Nelson W. was a HSHT student for four years while attending Palatka High School. Nelson participated in almost every event during those four years. He was the first to show up and the last to leave, always offering a helping hand. Nelson was very involved in HSHT and took advantage of the opportunities provided to him, such as job shadowing, summer internships and the speech contest. During his senior year, he was offered a full scholarship to Edward Waters College, where he is currently residing and playing football. We are very proud of Nelson and look forward to the updates from him and his mother.

#TheAmazingGive #DoSomethingAmazing #FloridaHSHT #AbleTrust

CIL Housing Program making a difference!

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This year’s Amazing Give funds will go towards employment, youth programs, and housing. Consumer Specialist extraordinaire, Mark Brisbane, oversees our housing efforts and we would love to give you the chance to get to know him and his work better.

One of Mark’s major roles at the Center includes empowering consumers by assisting them in securing a place to live. He guides consumers through the voucher application process and provides resources for self-advocacy. Nearly every consumer he works with goes on to cherish the experience, including Ms. Wilbert:

Ms. Wilbert had put caretaking for her elderly parents above her own career as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Following their passing, she went on to live with her adult children, as she was without the means to secure her own apartment. She had directed three women to the CILNCF’s housing program before participating in it herself. While it was a challenge to ask for assistance, Mark easily quelled this anxiety with his compassionate and genuine nature. She now has her voucher, her own apartment, and a newfound sense of independence. She stated, “Mark is really amazing. When he says he’s going to do something, he does it. And he is willing to go to the extreme.”

With The Amazing Give fast approaching, Ms. Wilbert, Mark, and all of us here at the CILNCF encourage you to donate on April 22nd, as a portion of this year’s funds will go towards expanding the reach of our housing program. You can visit our Amazing Give page and watch a video from Mark to learn more about what we have accomplished and what more will be made possible through your donations!

https://www.theamazinggive.org/organizations/center-for-independent-living-of-north-central-florida

Sign Language Interpreting Services with Kathy Elkins

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Kathy Elkins supervises Sign Language Interpreting Services at CIL. Kathy has had 18 years of experience working at a center for independent living, of which 15 have been in the sign language interpreting program. She joins us to today to discuss why these sign language interpreting programs are so important. Kathy shares what a situation that requires sign language interpretation looks like and explains the process of how of how to go about requesting an interpreter. CIL of North Central Florida operates a sign language coordination program to ensure the availability of interpreters for individuals who are deaf.

For more information, call Kathy Elkins at 877-629-8840 or e-mail kelkins@cilncf.org.

SPEAKERS: Kathy Elkins, Tony Delisle

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