What is an independent life, what resources, skills and opportunities are needed for people with disabilities to live independently, what mission and vision should the Independent life resource center be guided by and what services it should provide:
These and other issues were discussed during online consultations with Mobility International USA partner and leading independent life experts in the USA Kristina Mills, Executive Director of the Independent Life Centers Foundation of California, and Darrell Christenson, Vice President of Community Inclusivity at Ability360:
As we reported earlier, within the framework of the “towards an independent life” program, an independent life Resource center (ACR) will open in Gyumri in the near future. they cover recommendations and strategies aimed at providing affordable services to people with various disability groups, as well as expanding their capabilities by transferring knowledge and skills necessary for independent living:
As a result of online discussions with American experts of independent life and the team of the organization Mobility International USA, the team of NGO “Agat” developed the mission and vision of the Independent Life Resource Center in Gyumri, as well as a list of basic services that will be provided to the beneficiaries of the center:
However, despite the fact that it was done in order to attract people’s attention, I could not do it. “Evaluating remote consultations, I would like to note that we were lucky, because we were given the opportunity to receive practical and best advice from our American partners who have many years of experience in the field of effective management of independent life centers. Since within the framework of the program we will soon create an independent life resource center in Gyumri, at this stage we are trying to get as much information as possible about the philosophy, basic principles and services of independent life centers., to have a center based on human rights and consumers, run by people with disabilities. The staff of the NGO “agat” are preparing and participating in these consultations with great enthusiasm and responsibility, since each of them teaches us a lot of knowledge and skills.”: