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ARIZONA BRIDGE TO INDEPENDENT LIVING (ABIL)
At a Glance
Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL),
a powerful “voice” for the disability community in Arizona,
offers independent living programs designed to empower people with
disabilities to build independent lives.
ABIL is one of five centers for independent living in Arizona. There
are over 600 centers across the country dedicated to equal
opportunity and full inclusion of people with disabilities into all
aspects of community life.
Additional Arizona Centers for Independent Living:
Disability
Resource Center of Tucson, AZ
(DIRECT)
New
Horizons Independent Living Center of Prescott, AZ
Services
Maximizing IL & Empowerment (SMILE)
Assist
to Independence
CyberCIL
Directory
to Centers in other States
ABIL advocates personal responsibility – by, and for, people
with disabilities – as
a means to independence. To help consumers achieve self-sufficiency,
ABIL offers comprehensive programs including independent living skills
instruction; information and referral; peer support; advocacy; home
modification; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
training and counsel; outreach to rehab centers & early intervention
for newly disabled individuals; reintegration from nursing homes;
employment services; Social Security work incentives; empowering youth
in transition; personal assistant services and social recreational
programs.
Through its comprehensive programs, ABIL touches the lives of individuals
with disabilities and addresses the disability concerns of their family
members, co-workers and employers.
ABIL offers developers and community leaders technical assistance
relating to the ADA.
ABIL began in 1977 as the Arizona Congress for Action (ACA), a group
of people with diverse physical disabilities who launched a grass
roots effort to educate the community about disability-related issues
in Central Arizona. In 1978, Congress enacted Independent Living Center
legislation as part of the amended Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In
1981, ABIL received funding and opened services.
With 72 staff members, approximately 1400 personal assistants and
several hundred volunteers, ABIL has offices in Phoenix, Mesa and
the West Valley.
ABIL programs are made possible through grants, fee-for-service contracts,
and individual and corporate contributions. These include: City of
Glendale Community Development Block Grants (CDBG); City of Phoenix
CDBG; City of Mesa CDBG; City of Peoria CDBG; Arizona Department of
Economic Security/Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA); Division
of Development Disabilities (DDD); U.S. Department of Education/RSA;
U.S. Social Security Administration; Pacific Disability and Business
Technical Assistance Center; Valley of the Sun United Way; Maricopa
Managed Care System; Mercy Care; Evercare: Arizona Commission on the
Arts: Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.
For more information, contact ABIL at (602) 256-2245; outside the
Phoenix metropolitan area, (800) 280-2245.
Members of the media may contact: HMA Public Relations, (602) 957-8881
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