ACCESS QUARTERLY WINTER 2018
Stroll ‘n’ Roll
SILENT NIGHT
The 2019 Stroll ‘n’ Roll is fast appraoching, what can you expect at the event?
CIL’s annual holiday event returns with a twist!
Fabricating Inclusion Meet the local artist creating the art behind
Gratitude Tuesday Giving thanks on a national day of giving, how CIL
is flipping the script on Giving Tuesday
s ’ e u n e v A e l k b r i a s s P e c c A t s s e s M Busines
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Silent Night
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CIL Closed December 24th, 2018 until January 2nd, 2019
Park Avenue’s Most Accessible Businesses
Stroll ‘n’ Roll 2019 March 9, 2019
CIL’s disability advocates surveyed Winter Park’s Park Avenue businesses to find the most accessible places to shop this holiday season.
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Silent Night December 14, 2018
CIL’s inclusive holiday event on Friday, December 14 is becoming even more inclusive than ever.
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Upcoming Events
Fabricating Inclusion The City of Kissimmee recently commissioned a scuplture from local artist with a disability.
Stroll ‘n’ Roll CIL’s 2019 Stroll ‘n’ Roll walk for inclusion is fast approaching! Here’s what you need to know to be ready.
Gratitude Tuesday This year CIL celebrated Giving Tuesday in a unique way; by giving thanks to our donors.
ACCESS QUARTERLY | WINTER EDITION
“I’m so grateful CIL is available to people who need a little help like myself. Without you I wouldn’t have a new scooter and batteries to get around and do what I love.” -Linus
Board of Directors Chair Mellissa Slover-Athey Centerstate Bank
Vice Chair Maxine Moul Orlando Health
Treasurer Steve Beres Regions Bank
Secretary Cheryl Stone Retired Microbiologist
Past Chair Kim Byerly Darden Restaurants Members Ronika Carter Hector Del Valle, MSW AIP Southern Regional Coordinator Watson LLP Dr. Maxine Ruddock Comprehensive Psychological & Assessment Services
Tamara Mackroy Comprehensive Health Services
Christoper Nelson Crummer School of Business
Ha Tran Crummer School of Business
MISSION “CIL, in partnership with the community, promotes inclusion of people with disabilities by eliminating architectural, communication and attitudinal barriers. CIL provides education, resources and training to enhance self-determination through informed choice.”
An Orlando Health Employee volunteers on a ramp build for a CIL consumer. Orlando Health took part in CIL’s RAMPAGE, volunteering over three weeks to complete the entire ramp.
www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
SILENT NIGHT The holiday season is a time of family, happiness, and inclusion. However when visiting a mall it becomes immediately apparent that many holiday interactions are not accessible for children with disabilities. Particularly, children who are Deaf encounter many barriers when trying something as simple as tell Santa what they want for Christmas. In response to this need, CIL launched its annual Silent Night event to provide an inclusive space for children and families living with disabilities to participate in these holiday activities that are such a large part of the holiday season. Silent Night launched in the winter of 2012, focusing specifically on the needs of Deaf children and the children of Deaf parents. After an ASL Storytime, kids had the opportunity to interact with a Deaf Santa that communicated via ASL. The event was a hit. Families with Deaf children were ecstatic that their kids had the same opportunity to engage with Santa that other children have every year and the event continued to grow.
ACCESS QUARTERLY | WINTER EDITION
This year, CIL is embracing the theme of inclusion and inviting all consumers with families to take part in the festivities. There will still be ASL interpreters on site for our Deaf guests, but all families are welcome to participate. Guests 12 and under will have the opportunity to interact with an ASL signing Santa and receive a gift. There will also be crafting stations, face painting, and an ASL story time with interpreters. Light bites will be provided. Silent Night will take place on Friday, December 14th at Center for Independent Living in Central Florida’s Winter Park office located at: 720 N. Denning Drive Winter Park, FL 32789 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Support CIL by shopping at Lucky’s in Winter Park!
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www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
Park Avenue’s Most Accessible Businesses
Park Avenue in Winter Park represents an idyllic shopping experience complete with restaraunts and retail stores. As part of Center for Independent Living in Central Florida’s mission to break down barriers for people with disabilities, we are always on the look out for businesses that keep accessibility in mind when laying out their stores. This December we want to celebrate those stores on Park Avenue that have made accessibility a priority and include people with disabilities among their customers. We sent our disability advocates to conduct a survey of the stores on Park Avenue and determine which stores on the avenue are the most accessible businesses for someone in a wheelchair. The two part survey was conducted over the course of a month.The first part was a self-evaluation of how accessible the store perceived itself to be. Our accessibility experts then conducted their own evaluation which took into account a store’s perception of how accessible they were and compared it to their assesment.
Looking for a new pair of prescription lenses or just a new pair of shades? Blending style, affordability, and uniqueness, See Eyewear offers near custom made eyewear for a fraction of the price. See’s Park Avenue location goes the extra mile offering its patrons with wheelchairs a very open and wide store layout with low shelving for glasses. An on-site consultant is available to assist with finding your perfect match, whose desk is also surprisingly low. Perfectly accessible for someone in a chair.
ACCESS QUARTERLY | WINTER EDITION
#9 Restoration Hardware Whether you are shopping for new furniture or a complete home makeover, Restoration Hardware’s designers work to realize the full potential of your home. Restoration Hardware puts the relationship between furniture, architecture, and decor at the forefront of everything they do, so it’s no surprise to see them on our list of most accessible places. From the double wide doors at the front of the store to the spread out layout, Restoration Hardware makes it easy for a person in a wheelchair to browse and shop.
#8 Lululemon Lululemon is a store for the active shopper. Offering an extensive selection of fashionable active wear, Lululemon also boasts one of the most accessible stores on Park Avenue. The floors inside are flat and smooth, easily allowing someone in a wheelchair to move around the store with minimal effort. Shelving is easily within reach and the tables are spaced much wider than most stores on Park Avenue, making the shopping experience convenient and accessible.
#7 Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn designs and crafts furniture and decor in a range of aesthetics and sizes, allowing customers to create a home that’s unique to their space and lifestyle. The welcoming entrance to the store easily gives enough clearance for a chair user to get through without obstacle. Once inside, shoppers can expect a highly accessible shopping experience thanks to low shelves, counters, and tables that can be reached by a person in a chair. Additionally, an elevator at the back of the store provides easy access to a second floor with a similarly accessible layout. www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
#6 Talbots
Talbots offers an accessible shopping experience before ever even entering the store with an accessible ramp at the entrance.The interior of the store can be a bit tight in places for someone in a chair, but the store offers enough wide paths to allow for easy shopping. Counters and tables with clothing options are low enough to be friendly to a chair user.
#5 Panera Bread
Shopping can be hungry work! Fortunately Panera Bread offers an accessible entryway for a person who may not be able to easily use stairs. A gently sloping ramp with rails leads to a pair of double wide doors that are easily usable by wheelchair. Once inside pathways are wide and counters are low enough that a person in a chair can easily make a purchase. Seating inside also offers a wide selection of options for a person in a chair.
#4 Gelato Go
Another fantastic food option on Park Avenue, Gelato Go offers similarly accessible interiors and access to the store. Dedicated to providing fresh gelato made from the freshest ingredients, Gelato Go offers a variety of delightful options for anyone looking for a break while they shop.
ACCESS QUARTERLY | WINTER EDITION
#3 Alex and Ani
One of the most accessible places on Park Avenue can be found at Alex and Ani. Offering a large variety of unique jewelry, Alex and Ani puts accessibility at the forefront of their store designs. The front doors are automatic and the store’s countertops are low enough for a person in a wheelchair to easily view the jewelry inside.
#2 The Briarpatch
The Briarpatch Restaurant is one of Winter Park’s most iconic restaurants. The open layout of the restaurant allows chair users a perfect amount of maneuverability. The bar is low enough for someone in a chair to reach and restrooms are easily accessible. There is no ramp to the restaurant however, because there are no steps and everything is at floor level, so there is no need for one!
#1 Jewels by Peter B
Jewels by Peter B is the leader in creating one-of-a-kind custom jewelry pieces as well as pieces from the biggest names in jewelry. It also happens to be the most accessible store on Park Avenue! Jewels by Peter B gets everything right, from the double wide doors to accommodate customers in chairs to the low countertops to showcase merchandise. There are no protruding objects in the paths of travel and the floor is carpeted to prevent slipping.
www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
FABRICATING
INCLUSION
Jerry Diaz uses a wheelchair. However when Jerry is 6 feet above the ground in mid-air he also shatters any preconceptions one may have about a person who uses a wheelchair. Jerry’s first passion is Wheel Chair Moto-Cross. Travelling the country Jerry, who goes by Krazylegz, has been competing in motocross competitions for years. Part of his passion stems from mentoring young children that use wheelchairs on how to participate in motocross and overcome their fear of being unable to so awesome things because they are in a chair.
About two years ago, Jerry discovered his second passion. Modifying wheelchairs can be very costly and Jerry needed to upgrade his chair for Wheel Chair Moto-Cross. He applied to a welding school program and after modifying his wheelchair he discovered that he wasn’t satisfied. Jerry’s art career was born. Jerry loves fabricating welded metal art pieces and has rapidly become a sought after artist in the field. His daily work usually entails creating sculptures for Disney theme parks and most recently Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Orlando in October.
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“Disability inspires some of my sculptures of figures in wheelchairs, but I’m not really trying to convey any messages through my art, I just love to create.” says Jerry of his passion ACCESS QUARTERLY | WINTER EDITION
Jerry was quickly hired on at MAD Creative Fabrication, an Orlando based fabrication company,as a welder. Most recently, the city of Kissimmee chose several of Jerry’s sculptures to be displayed in public areas. Jerry is extremely proud of the work he has made and is always looking forward to his next project. In the mean time he is still participating in Wheel Chair Moto-Cross and helping children with disabilities learn that having a disability does not mean that they won’t be able to do amazing things. You can see more of Jerry’s work on his Instagram at www.instagram. com/uradrenalinerush
www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
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March 9, 2019 Crane’s Roost Park Join Central Florida’s walk to break down barriers for people with disabilities in our community! Register today at
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Stroll.cilorlando.org
ACCESS QUARTERLY | WINTER EDITION
Gratitude Tuesday
We would like a to take a moment to thank all those who volunteer, donate, and spread the word about Center for Independent Living.Your support allows us to live our mission of breaking down the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from obtaining opportunities and reaching their full potential. This year for Giving Tuesday we called each of our donors to tell them exactly that; thank you. Traditionally Giving Tuesday has been a day for non-profit organizations to solicit donors for donations. However an organization like CIL requires donations year round in order to function, and we we’ve taken the opportunity to take the national day of giving and give thanks to those who make our work possible. You’ve given access, opportunity, and hope to so many people in Central Florida that would not have those things otherwise. From all of us at CIL and those you have helped, thank you. www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
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VISIT www.cilorlando.org to learn more
WINTER PARK OFFICE: 720 N DENNING DRIVE WINTER PARK, FL 32789 PHONE: 407-623-1070
LAKELAND OFFICE: 5125 S. LAKELAND DRIVE, SUITE 4 LAKELAND, FL 33814 PHONE: 863-413-2722
INFO@CILORLANDO.ORG