Independence Empowerment Center

The Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority (ATLFA) has changed its name to NewWell Fund.  Check out their new look at www.atlfa.org.

As part of the continued focus on knowledge and prevention of secondary conditions associated with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Spinal Cord Injury (RRTC on SCI) has produced this educational brochure titled:

You and Your Doctor:  A Short Guide to Your Rights and Responsibilities

To access this publication on the web please visit:

http://ilru.org/html/publications/SCI/library/You_and_Your_Doctor.pdf

The Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants (VAPCA) is a professional organization of PCAs that gives caregivers a voice to improve working conditions, reduce turnover, and build a stable workforce that ensures people with disabilities and seniors get the care they need to live at home as long as they choose.  Find out how you can join VAPCA by calling 1-800-893-8343.  For additional information, visit VAPCA’s website at www.virginiapca.org.

On Monday, October 22, 2007, Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) made the following announcement:

As part of the continued focus on knowledge and prevention of secondary conditions associated with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Spinal Cord Injury (RRTC on SCI) has produced this educational brochure on Diabetes and SCI.

To access this publication on the Web please visit:  http://www.ilru.org/html/publications/SCI/library/Diabetes.pdf

Continue reading the Diabetes and Spinal Cord Injury Educational Brochure article

If you have quadriplegia and need assistive technology to make use of your own computer, please contact us and we will use our resources to try to help you meet your need.

Please Note:  This is not about supplying you with a computer, but only about assistive devices to help you access your own computer.  Call Pat Scott at 703-257-5400, extension 110, or email pscott@ieccil.org.

My name is Ellen Trimble, and I am emailing the CIL’s as I serve as your representative for the Virginia Relay Advisory Council.

At the August 21, 2007, Virginia Relay Advisory Council meeting in Staunton, I was asked to inform all of the CIL’s about the need to promote Speech to Speech Relay Services.  Persons who are Deaf and persons who are profoundly hard of hearing are making use of the service, however persons who are speech impaired are not using the service as much.  As you know, making a phone call yourself promotes independence.  So we need to get the word out to our consumers.

Continue reading the Assisting Persons with Speech Impairments article

Obtaining accurate and timely information about special education issues in Virginia is often frustraing.  To address this challenge, the Virginia Board for People with Disabilties and State Special Education Advisor Committee (SSEAC) are collaborating to create a grassroots communications network to more effectively and efficiently distribute this information.

Continue reading the Announcing the Virginia Special Education Network article