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Advocacy & Information  based on civil and human rights laws  that prohibit discrimination  based on disability.

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    also see Resources / Advocacy Web Links  |  KCDC Legislative Update

We work with individuals and the community to ensure that people with disabilities acquire and maintain their civil and human rights.  Our emphasis is on self-advocacy, which serves to empower people with disabilities not just for the moment but throughout our lifetime.

Information is most frequently provided about these laws:

• Americans with Disabilities Act --  (ADA)

• Kansas Act Against Discrimination --  (KAAD)

• Fair Housing Act, as amended in 1988 --  (FHA)

• Individuals with Disabilities --  Education Act (IDEA)

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation -- Act of 1973

• Air Carrier Access Act

Through Self-Advocacy, individuals with disabilities learn how to request and receive accommodations that are mandated by law, such as:

- Reasonable Accommodation when applying for a job or housing; during the course of employment; or when renting or buying housing.

- Auxiliary Aids and Services such as sign language interpreters, audio-description and receiving material in accessible formats (large print, Braille, computer disk or audiotape). 

- Modifying Policies, Practices or Procedures when needed to provide equal access to goods and services. 

Examples: Modifying a "no pet" policy to allow the use of service animals by people with disabilities; or modifying a policy requiring driver's licenses as I.D. to accept state identification cards from people with disabilities who do not drive.

- Removing Structural Barriers in existing places of public accommodation, where such improvements are readily achievable. 

Public accommodations are privately owned businesses open to the public such as: motels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, medical facilities, social services centers, recreation facilities.

Advocates also learn about tax provisions available to employers, public accommodations and housing providers to offset the cost of removing communication, structural, or transportation barriers.

- ADA Surveys   Independence, Inc. performs accessibility surveys for businesses that include specific recommendations for improving accessibility that are based on ADA requirements.

- Assistive Technology   Independence, Inc. is a regional access site for information on assistive technology.  This includes items such as communication devices, computer hardware and software, assistive listening systems, door closures, portable ramps, stair lifts, etc.

- Brailling  We translate items such as menus, reports, service information and medical self-care information; etc. into Braille.  Contact the agency for more information.

- Visitability  Basic access in all new homes -- so that they are "visitable" by people with mobility problems. A no-step entrance, doorways wide enough to get through and a bathroom big enough to get into and close the door -- these are visitability's three simple points. More...

Grassroots Consumer Advocacy Groups   We are very interested in working to help you get started.

Technical Assistance is also provided to employers, places of public accommodation, landlords, and other interested persons about how to carry out both the spirit and letter of state and federal disability rights laws.

Disability Rights Enforcement   Assistance is available to ensure people with disabilities have access to all available enforcement mechanisms.  When self-advocacy and educational efforts do not work, we explain the options available on the local, state and federal levels for filing a disability based discrimination complaint.  We have all the forms and will provide assistance and support through the entire process, including mediation if you choose that option.  Attorney referrals also are made upon request.

The Independence Inc. Access Task Force

 a  grassroots advocacy group

 We are ...

- part of the disability rights movement, advocating for an integrated and accessible community.

- working to make the Americans with Disabilities Act's promise of equal opportunity a reality.

- bringing about needed changes in the community by educating businesses, schools, and local government about their responsibilities under the ADA and other disability rights laws.

- working for a world where people with disabilities are treated with dignity and respect.

 Some of our Goals for 2000

• Work for an affordable, accessible fixed-route public transportation system in Lawrence and Douglas County.

• Continue to advocate for an accessible community based on requirements of the ADA and Kansas Act Against Discrimination.

• Work for state legislation that would provide health care parity for people with mental illness; and increase private insurance coverage of durable medical equipment.

• Advocate for passage of needed federal legislation: The Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act (MiCasa), and the Patient's Bill of Rights.

 To get involved in the Access Task Force

Come to our monthly meetings.  The Access Task Force meets in the Independence, Inc. conference room at 4 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month.  All interested people are welcome to attend! 

For more information contact:

Independence, Inc. 
  - Access Task Force 
2001 Haskell Avenue  
Lawrence, KS 66046

785/841-0333 (Voice)

785/841-1046 (IDD)

1-888-824-7277 (Consumer Hot Line)

E-Mail: bmikesic@independenceinc.org

What is Independent Living?

Activism of persons with disabilities on behalf of themselves and their peers was both the seed of the independent living/disability rights movement and the force that continues to fuel it. 

Independent living means personal control over one's life, self-direction, freedom of choice, risk-taking, equal access, and significant participation in society. 

Independent living is based on the belief that all individuals shall have the opportunity to participate fully in society.  This includes:

• equal employment opportunities 

• access to public facilities, transportation, and affordable housing

• supportive services 

• free, appropriate, and non-segregated education

• the right to bear, raise, and adopt children

• full participation in the cultural, social, recreational, and economic life of the community

• life with dignified independence outside of institutional settings

 People We Serve

Independence, Inc. serves anyone in Douglas, Franklin, or Jefferson county with a physical or mental condition that limits one or more of life's major activities, or who is regarded as having such a disability. This includes individuals whose disability is controlled by medication or is in remission.