Whether you’re a person with a disability transitioning to independent living or a parent or guardian working to secure your child’s future, financial planning is crucial. Understanding the resources available to people with disabilities and their families can help you set yourself or your loved one up for a lifetime of financial stability. Read on to learn more about the top tips and resources to help you create a financial plan that fits your lifestyle and needs. 

You’ve narrowed down your interests, boosted your confidence, and learned about your rights under the ADA. Now it’s time to start finding and applying for jobs! Below are our top tips for moving on to the next phase of your career journey and landing an exciting new position. Read on to learn more!

For many people, choosing to seek employment is a crucial part of their Independent Living journey.

Ed Roberts was a pioneering advocate whose life’s work—the Independent Living movement—continues to shift societal perspectives on disability and promote autonomy, dignity, and respect for people with disabilities.

In its broadest dictionary definition, “connection” means “a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else.” In actual life, connection plays out in many ways.

A shortage of direct care workers, or professional caregivers, has impacted people with disabilities for years, and the trend keeps getting worse. Low pay, poor opportunities for advancement, demanding working conditions, and more mean that direct care is less competitive for new job seekers while the need for such workers continues to grow.

The ADA changed the experience of living with a disability for most people, yet some vast disparities still exist—and employment is a nearly universal one. In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we’re here to discuss the ongoing challenges that people with disabilities face in the job market and workplace, and what employers and disability advocates can do to help remedy them. 

MiSILC and the CILs follow the philosophy of Independent Living, where people with disabilities exercise control over their lives and live with dignity and self-determination. Of course, independence doesn’t always mean living alone or without assistance—for many people, caregivers, group living facilities, and other resources provide the support they need to hold jobs, live away from home, or otherwise make decisions about their own lives. The vast majority of people with disabilities, including people with cognitive or intellectual disabilities, are capable of having some control over their lives and circumstances, and, as advocates and allies, this must be one of our rallying cries: independent living is for everyone.