Individual Advocacy:
The aim of our individual advocacy services is to create and facilitate community support for people with disabilities. Our Independent Living Specialists assist clients in identifying aspirations, defining a vision for their lives, and setting goals.
Our clients learn to become self-advocates by exercising their social, economic, educational, and legal rights, such as reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
They will develop an Independent Living Plan (ILP) to meet their specific needs with the assistance of an Independent Living Specialist.
Independent Living Specialists help clients achieve their personal goals by providing necessary information, resources, and support in
navigating complex systems – such as Social Security, Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS), CalFresh, Achieving a Better Life Experience (CalABLE), In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Angel Fund, and various other programs tailored to their needs.
Systems Advocacy:
Joining hands with others to change policies is essential to make government, transportation, and housing systems more accessible to people with disabilities. The ultimate goal is to educate and support people with disabilities to work together and remove the barriers that prevent them from living independently. In addition, it aims to raise awareness among the public about the challenges, issues, and barriers faced by people with disabilities.
Systems change advocacy involves various programs such as educational programs, town hall meetings, action alerts, rallies, legislative visits, public service announcements, and other means to further the cause of people with disabilities.
The Humboldt Accessibility Action! The committee is a local group that has successfully identified and removed accessibility barriers that impact persons with disabilities. You can also become a member of this group and be part of these success stories.
If you know of a project that can improve accessibility, you can download the Accessibility Complaint Form from the downloads section. Complete the form and submit it to Tri-County Independent Living. We regularly share this information with county and/or city representatives to ensure that accessibility issues are addressed.