Advice from the Experts: Minority Youth with Disabilities Share Program Improvement Opportunities with CILs

Training Source: 
ILRU
Beginning Date: 
03/22/2023
End Date: 
03/22/2023
Type of Training: 
On-demand

About the training

The MY-CIL team of presenters highlight findings from three focus groups held with out-of-school youth from minority backgrounds. Youth participants and CIL staff discussed recommendations and strategies for improving CIL services for youth with disabilities from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. CILs are community-based organizations that provide services to youth with disabilities who are transitioning to adult life after completing or ending high school. CIL services are beneficial for minority youth with disabilities who face multiple barriers to independent living as they transition.

The speakers include three youth participants from the focus groups and share their experiences and advice. In addition, CIL staff and directors from Able South Carolina; Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York; and Southern Illinois Center for Independent Living discuss their current programming and strategies for engaging consumers. 

Speakers and Panelists

  • Barbara Anderson, Independent Living Specialist for FAST TRACK at Southern Illinois Center for Independent Living 
  • Apple Gabriel, Youth Participant
  • Michael Hanna, Equip Coordinator at Able South Carolina
  • Sharon Mclennon Weir, Ph.D., MSEd, CRC, LMHC, Executive Director of Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York
  • Oliver Olivia, Youth Participant
  • Amanda Reichard, Ph.D., Project Officer at the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, Administration for Community Living
  • Aditya Singh, Youth Participant

Exchanging promising practices is a fundamental approach for accelerating progress among CILs, and hoping you will attend. To learn more about the focus group findings, please visit the MY-CIL project event website.

View the training (01:26:10)

Note: For Playback View with ASL, click the box with three circles in the bottom right-hand side of the Zoom recording screen then choose Gallery view. 

  • View the PowerPoint (pdf)
  • View the transcript (doc)

MY-CIL is a partnership between Hunter College School of Education; Mathematica and its Center for Studying Disability Policy; the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York; and Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) to generate and share knowledge that empowers CILs to better serve out-of-school youth and young adults (ages 14 to 24) from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds.