Image of Progress CIL logo: A depiction of four types of disability: a person in a wheelchair, a blind person using a cane, a person with a non-apparent disability, and the ASL sign for the letter 'P'. 'Progress Center' is in all caps between the wheelchair user and the ASL sign. 'for independent living' is written underneath in cursive handwriting

Home

Staff
Services
Calendar
2008 Liberty Dinner
Downloads
Advocacy
Employment
Home Service Training/Video
Links
Make a Donation
Contact Us
Info for PCIL Staff




What's New  

PCIL WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS BEGINNING DEC. 24 @ 2PM.  

WE WILL RE-OPEN MONDAY, JAN. 5

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY AND A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!!

******THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED******

****LOOK FOR A NEW DATE IN JAN. 2009****

Progress Center for Independent Living

Presents…

Home Modifications for People with Disabilities

A Workshop presented by Ken Burr of Ramp Up Foundation

Defining your Home Mod Needs,

Choosing Vendors,

Obtaining Comparable Bids, and

Finding Funding

 

When:                        2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Where:                      Progress Center for Independent Living

7521 W. Madison Street

Forest Park, IL   60130

 

Space is limited :    To reserve your space and/or request accommodations, please contact

Anne Gunter at (708) 209-1500 x22

no later than Friday morning, December 12.

 

In consideration for people with disabilities Progress Center maintains a Scent-Free Environment.

Please refrain from using ANY scented products.

Anyone wearing fragrance of any sort will be asked to leave the building. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

People with disabilities who wish to take part in the free transit benefit must enroll in the Circuit Breaker program in order to be eligible. 

The Circuit Breaker program provides support to senior citizens and persons with disabilities to help them reduce the impact of taxes and prescription medications on their lives. 

Link to Illinois Circuit Breaker:   Circuit Breaker

-----------------------------------------------


-Our Employment page has information on current positions.  
-Go to our Make a Donation page to learn how you can support Progress Center.


Last updated:   December 9, 2008

Americans with Disabilities Vote!

Voting is Power! It is important to vote for your state representatives and state senators. They can pass laws that protect your CIVIL RIGHTS and they will decide funding for disability and independent living programs.

If you are not registered to vote, please make every effort to do so. One of the ways is through visiting us at Progress Center for Independent Living. Please bring two forms of identification and we can register you.

What is Progress Center for Independent Living?

Progress Center is a:

  • Community-based,
  • non-profit,
  • non residential,
  • service and advocacy organization,
  • operated
    • for people with disabilities
    • by people with disabilities.

Independent Living...

... is a way of life that includes values, attitudes and behaviors.
... embraces a philosophy that the person, regardless of their disability, has the potential to exercise individual self-determination.
... is having the right and the opportunity to pursue a course of action. And, it is having the freedom to fail -and to learn from one's failures, just as nondisabled people do.
... "means that we demand the same choices and control in our every-day lives that non-disabled brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends take for granted. We want to grow up in our families, go to the neighborhood school, use the same bus as our neighbors, work in jobs that are in line with our education and abilities, start families of our own. Just as everybody else, we need to be in charge of our lives, think and speak for ourselves." (A. Ratzka http://www.independentliving.org )

Ten Principles of Independent Living

  • Civil Rights - equal rights and opportunities for all; no segregation by disability type or stereotype.
  • Consumerism - a person ("consumer" or "customer") using or buying a service or product decides what is best for him/herself.
  • De-institutionalization - no person should be institutionalized (formally by a building, program, or family) on the basis of a disability.
  • De-medicalization - individuals with disabilities are not "sick", as prescribed by the assumptions of the medical model and do not require help from certified medical professionals for daily living.
  • Self-help - people learn and grow from discussing their needs, concerns, and issues with people who have had similar experiences; "professionals" are not the source of help provided.
  • Advocacy - systemic, systematic, long-term, and community-wide change activities are needed to ensure that people with disabilities benefit from all that society has to offer.
  • Barrier-removal - in order for civil rights, consumerism, de-institutionalization, de-medicalization, and self-help to occur, architectural, communication and attitudinal barriers must be removed.
  • Consumer control - the organizations best suited to support and assist individuals with disabilities are governed, managed, staffed and operated by individuals with disabilities.
  • Peer role models - leadership for independent living and disability rights is vested in individuals with disabilities (not parents, service providers or other representatives).
  • Cross-disability - activities designed to achieve the first five principles must be cross-disability in approach, meaning that the work to be done must be carried out by people with different types of disabilities for the benefit of all persons with disabilties. (Courtesy of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois)

Progress Center embraces "Disability culture"

This term is used by people with disabilities to describe not only our growing sense of a shared history of social oppression, but also our strategies for coping and thriving, our emerging art and humor, our sense of community, and an almost defiant celebration of our differences. (adapted from C. Gill)

On this site, you will find:

Staff
Who does what at our center.

Services
The services offered at our center.

Downloads
Some of our independent living manuals, brochures and past newsletters.

Advocacy efforts and alerts
Ongoing systems advocacy efforts, along with alert calling for immediate action.

Links
A collection of some useful links.

Employment opportunities at PCIL
Current job openings at the center.

Contact Us
How to contact us

Service Area

Progress CIL serves all of suburban Cook County in Illinois. This includes over 130 municipalities.

Hours of operation

Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Central Time.  Services after hours, by appointment only.


Hosting services generously provided by SecureWebs

Small WebCounter services banner with Web in blue block letters and Counter with each letter written on a small ball Web Counter logo