• Promising Practices for Healthy Lifestyle & Independent Living Programming for ILRC's (pdf format)
• Promising Practices for Healthy Lifestyle & Independent Living Programming for ILRC's (rtf format)

The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) (Now IL Canada) recognized the need for further exploration of how an Independent Living (IL) lens could be applied to community based programs that aim to increase the level of physical activity for people with a disability.

Physical Activities & Healthy Lifestyles Project: A PowerPoint Training Tool.

Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD) and Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) (now IL Canada) July 2006. This series of 14 PowerPoint presentations can serve as a useful training tool to educate consumers, recreational facilities, other agencies and the general public on the importance of healthy lifestyle choices and universal design for people with disabilities.

Recreation & Leisure: Healthy Lifestyle Choices

The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) (now IL Canada) is pleased to announce an initiative that will enhance the capacity of its member Independent Living Resource Centres to develop healthy lifestyle programming for persons with disabilities. Working in partnership with the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability, CAILC (now IL Canada) will build the resources and knowledge base of the national network and design a model program for physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

IL Canada and its network supports approximately 200,000 people each year. Canadians with disabilities need to learn about and have options to developing healthier lifestyle choices just like everyone else stated Traci Walters, IL Canada's National Director. Given the wide-reaching networks that IL Canada has across the country and the number of consumers that they work with, we are very excited about the opportunity to help IL Canada develop program ideas and models that will provide information about healthy, active living to their consumers and stakeholders acknowledged Chris Bourne, Partnerships Manager with ALACD.

This project, supported by Physical Activity Contributions Program of the Public Health Agency of Canada will provide training to CAILC (now IL Canada) personnel and volunteers across the country, furnish each of its 26 Independent Living Resource Centres with a variety of resources for their libraries, and establish a program delivery model that will develop the capacity at the community level, ensuring this initiative is sustainable and relevant to diverse stakeholders. It will also provide a mechanism by which people with disabilities across Canada can learn about and become involved with appropriate active living programs within their communities.

Through our provincial and territorial representatives, the ALACD is already quite connected at the community level and aware of active living opportunities across the country that cater to every interest and every level of ability. This program will be a great way for us to share this information with the CAILC network, added Bourne.
The ALACD promotes, supports and enables Canadians with disabilities to lead active, healthy lives. Through a nationally coordinated network, the ALACD provides leadership, support, encouragement, promotion and information that facilitates healthy, active living opportunities for Canadians of all abilities across all settings and environments. For more information visit www.ala.ca.

Founded in 1986, by the Independent Living movement, the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) is the national umbrella organizations, representing and coordinating the network of Independent Living Resource Centres (ILRCs) at the national level. Both CAILC and ILRCs are organizations run by and for persons with disabilities that provide information on disability and mainstream supports and programs, skills development, peer support, research and community development. For more information about this exciting initiative, please contact CAILC at (613) 563.2581, (613) 563.4215 (TTY/TDD) or .

Event Calendar, Active Living Association for Canadians with a Disability
http://www.ala.ca/Content/Community&Events/Event%20Calendar.asp?langid=1
Use this link to search for active living programs and events across the country.