NCIL Applauds CIL Transition Record

20 April 2007

Dear NCIL Members:

Many of us take offense to our friend, Steve Gold’s, March 2007 Bulletin in which he impugns our record in transitioning our brothers and sisters from nursing homes.  Why Mr. Gold seeks to hold CILs responsible for more people not being transitioned to the community is unclear.  The numbers cited in his Bulletin show the number of relocations reported by centers, an aggregate of more than 2,800 people relocated in each of those years.

Is that good?  Is that bad?  In point of fact, it is neither.  It is simply what it is—evidence of how much work remains and evidence of the impact centers have with few resources.  It is not that long ago that number was likely “0” for most centers because it was nearly impossible to get someone out of a facility once they were in.  And sadly, that situation is nearly as tragic in many parts of this country today.

Our Independent Living Movement creates a new social paradigm for all people with disabilities.  It sets in motion change that continues to shape and improve our world.  The CILs and SILCs of NCIL are the vanguard of that change.  While transitioning people from nursing homes and state institutions remains, arguably, our number one priority; it is not the only issue with which we must contend.

NCIL members work to promote the civil rights of our sisters and brothers disabilities, including Olmstead rights.  We create and implement services and programs to empower individuals in the exercise of those rights.  CILs train and empower the consumer to arrange and maintain their own independent living needs - personal care services, housing, transportation, accessible healthcare, assistive technology, recreation, (and ultimately) employment, etc.  Housing alone for an individual that is on Medicaid or Medicare is a difficult task fraught with barriers: obtaining section 8 vouchers, cost, accessibility, location, cleaning, maintenance, etc.  For a rural CIL with a $300,000 a year budget and three or four employees, transitioning two or three people a year from nursing homes is a huge accomplishment and deserves acknowledgement.

For most of our shared history, getting out of an institution and building a life was little more than a dream.  Increasingly, today it is a reality for thousands of people every year. And it is CILs who are making that happen.  There are some CILs who could put more emphasis on transitioning, but at the expense of what?  At the expense of support for those who have managed to get to or stay in the community?  At the expense of advocacy to create the “necessaries” for IL: accessible affordable housing, transportation, personal care services, healthcare, communications, assistive technology, and jobs?  

CILs do amazing things on a shoestring budget. Most centers simultaneously transition folks from nursing homes; provide quality consumer-controlled services; advocate with individuals for their rights and services; and embrace a statewide and national change agenda for all people with disabilities.

NCIL members consistently support eliminating the institutional bias in Medicaid, preserving and enhancing civil rights, increasing accessible, affordable, integrated housing, seeking more transportation choices, and empowering personal productivity.  We work for improvements in federal law to improve Independent Living.  We support consumer-control and increased funding for CILs and SILCs.

NCIL members carry the banner everyday in support of the freedom of people with disabilities to access to all of society, of meaningful choices, of adequate services, and of the knowledgeable exercise of their rights.  Few others claim this mandate we call the Independent Living Movement.  Together we have come a long way.  And, together we can, and must, do more.

We must do more so that far fewer people are faced with the false set of choices resulting from the “institutional bias” in federal policy. We must do more to affect the administration of state rules and regulations. And we must do more to ensure the capacity of our centers and communities so that the choices people face are not hollow.

 These challenges and struggles create tensions within our community. And, as disability rights advocates, we do not always agree on what to do when, and what priority is more pressing than another. That too is what makes us unique.

 But we face great peril if we let honest passionate discourse—or even critical voices—divert us from our mission that is more unifying than divisive.

 Our record is impressive.  Let us all be proud of it.  Let us all do more and step up where we have not before.

 Let us all recommit to collectively building the future we all dream of and continue to push for more freedom for our brothers and sisters.  Hopefully, our friends at the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP) will support us with their insight, expertise and advocacy.

Keep up your excellent work!  Best wishes from your NCIL Governing Board,

  

Kelly Buckland                                                                       John A. Lancaster

President                                                                               Executive Director