Thursday, May 1, 2008

OUTDATED ATTITUDES COST TRILLIONS TO THE ECONOMY
CHANGE ATTITUDES CHANGE SOCIETY – NEW NAME SAYS IT ALL

Ottawa, Ontario - After 21 years we have changed our name from the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres or CAILC to Independent Living Canada. Independent Living Canada and its national network of member Independent Living Resource Centres support individuals and their communities by changing the way in which people with disabilities view themselves and are viewed by others. Hence its new slogan: “Promoting a new perspective on disability.”

“The Independent Living Movement does not seek to find a cure but aims to help reduce the barriers that create disabling conditions. Independent Living Canada fosters and promotes the economic, political, social and cultural contributions of people with disabilities and by doing so we are creating a better Canada for all,” said Traci Walters, National Director of Independent Living Canada.

The staff and volunteers in the 28 Independent Living Resource Centres, provide services and programs to over a quarter of a million Canadians. The Centres focus on information dissemination, networking, self-advocacy, independent living skills development, peer support, research and community development.

According to the International Labour Organization, the annual loss of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour market is between US$1.37 trillion and US$1.94 trillion. The time has come for a dramatic shift in the attitudes and behavior of individuals, businesses, and governments towards the growing number of Canadians, including seniors, who live with a disability.

Rick Goodfellow, Chairperson of Independent Living Canada’s Board of Directors, sums it up by saying: “We need all levels of government to change their approach and how they invest millions of dollars into ineffective and outdated programs and services that act as disincentives to full participation.”

To quote Henry David Thoreau: “Things do not change; we change.”

For more information, please contact:
Traci Walters, National Director of IL Canada
(613) 563-2581, Ext. 16