Independent Living Centres in Canada using social media!

One way the Independent Living Movement gets its strength from peer support.  Therefore to provide peer support through social media, IL Vernon has compiled this list of IL Centres using social media (Facebook & Twitter) to further IL Principles:

Independent Living Centre London

https://www.facebook.com/IndependentLivingCentreLondon

Niagara Centre for Independent Living:

https://www.facebook.com/ncil88

Twitter: @ncil88

Ottawa Independent Living Resource Centre

https://www.facebook.com/OILRC                                                                                                                                                          

Twitter:   @OILRC

Resource Centre for Independent Living (RISE):

https://www.facebook.com/pages/RISE-Resource-Centre-for-Independent-Living/81627102792

Independent Living Vernon

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Independent-Living-Vernon/176912665672780                                                                        

Twitter: @ILVernon

 

Victoria Disability Resource Centre

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Disability-Resource-Centre/162093327162065

Independent Living Sudbury Manitoulin

https://www.facebook.com/ILSudbury                                                                                                                                                        Twitter:  @ILSudbury

Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region

https://www.facebook.com/ilcwr

Independent Living Nova Scotia

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Independent-Living-Nova-Scotia/146896108683919

Independent Living Centre Kingston 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Independent-Living-Centre-Kingston/37319055044

Independent Living Resource Centre Thunder Bay

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001058649051&ref=ts

Richmond Centre for Disability

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-Centre-for-Disability/92728543489     

Twitter:  @RCD_Richmond
 

Victoria Disability Resource Centre

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Disability-Resource-Centre/162093327162065

North Saskatchewan Independent Living Centre

https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Saskatchewan-Independent-Living-Centre-NSILC/121904617831102

 
Vie Autonome Montérégie 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001454367919

Vie Autonome Péninsule Acadienne Inc.  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/155102193311/                                      

Twitter:  @vapainc

Vie Autonome Abitibi-Témiscamingue 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vie-Autonome-Abitibi-T%C3%A9miscamingue/112218895519145

Vie Autonome Bas-Saint-Laurent 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vie-Autonome-Bas-Saint-Laurent/192095684184061

Le Phenix

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Ph%C3%A9nix/170748552988001                                                                                                    

Twitter:  @Le_Phenix_

Regroupement des personnes handicap region de Haut-Richelieu

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Regroupement-des-personnes-handicap%C3%A9es-r%C3%A9gion-du-Haut-Richelieu/147386701947179

Independent Living Resource Centre Newfoundland Labrador

https://www.facebook.com/IlrcNL

Independent Living Canada/Vie autonome Canada

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Independent-Living-Vie-autonome-Canada/257720157591572?ref=ts        

Twitter: @IL_Canada

By "Like"ing and following IL Centres on social media, it is one way to support the Independent Living movement in Canada.  By supporting the IL Movement you support people with a variety of disabilities to have choice and control!

If we have missed any centres with social media, please leave a comment and the list will be updated!

More than just Mutts - Assistance dogs for people with a variety of disabilities

More than just Mutts!

I recently heard someone say 'How can you call that a service dog, the person they're helping isn't blind?'

You might be surprised to learn that assistance dogs assist more than just people who are blind. In fact, there are assistance dogs who assist people with a variety of disabilities, such as hearing, severe diabetes, physical limitations, autism, psychiatric, or seizure disorders.

You may have heard stories of pets alerting their owners to health dangers, stopping intruders, or alerting them to a fire. Assistance dogs are specifically trained to assist with certain activities or detect behavior and/or mood changes in their handlers. Training and socialization for the dog is extensive and intense until they are about two years old. Once the dog is matched with the handler, there is more training for the newly formed team to build a strong bond.

How can you identify an assistance dog? In most cases, assistance dogs will be wearing a vest that clearly identifies them as an assistance dog and a harness for the handler to easily control the dog. The West Coast Assistance Teams website outlines some general and specific assistance dog ettiquette:

Generally, when you meet a person with an assistance dog, please remember that the dog is working. You don't want anything to interrupt the dog from performing its tasks.

Specifically,

• Speak to the person first

• Do not make distracting noises aimed at the assistance dog.

• Do not touch the assistance dog without asking permission.

• Do not feed an assistance dog.

• Do not ask personal questions about the handler's disability

• Don't be offended if the handler declines to chat about the assistance dog.

For more information about assistance dogs, some options include:

http://www.westcoastteams.com

http://www.dogguides.com

http://www.pads.ca

ILV Financial Audit 2011

Hi everyone,

As promised at the IL Vernon Annual General Meeting on December 2, 2011, ILV Audited statements would be circulated and made available.  These statements are a public document and IL Vernon values transparency.

The IL Vernon Board of Directors approved the statements on January 19, 2012 -

Therefore you can view the statements by clicking the link below:

ILV 2011 Audited Statements

Comments:

• On page 4 - Accounts payable & accured liabilities is up due to the addition of the accrual of sick pay which had never been added (Please see Note 9), a purchase of IL IMPACT Books and the cost of the 2010 & 2011 Financial audits
• Some individual amounts on the Statement of Revenue and Expenses are different, this due to new auditing standards required IL Vernon to have a new auditor from within the same firm at Rossworn Henderson LLP.  The new auditor changed how some expense were allocated, but overall the totals are similar to 2010. 

If you have any questions, please direct your questions to Laura Hockman, Executive Director at laura@ilvernon.ca or 250-545-9292 Ext. 207

IL Canada Annual General meeting in Ottawa

Hi everyone,

I am in Ottawa for the AGM of IL Canada, the national office for Independent Living Vernon.  There are 27 IL Centres in Canada.

This morning delegates had a presentation about: Disability Rights Promotion International (D.R.P.I.) is a collaborative project working to establish a monitoring system to address disability discrimination globally. D.R.P.I. has adopted a holistic approach to disability rights monitoring, with three focus areas: individual experiences monitoring, systemic monitoring and media monitoring.

For more information, please visit their website :   http://www.yorku.ca/drpi/  If you have questions or ideas about how IL Vernon can be involved with the DRPI or other disability issues, contact Laura Hockman!