July 2015 - ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia
Transcription
July 2015 - ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia
JULY 201 5 Declaration The 25th Anniversary of the ADA ECNV Annual Awards Reception a Success In this issue: By Brianna Gross, Communications Manager The Tapestry of the Way We Were 4 Voices of Generation ADA 5 25th Anniversary ADA Events 6 July Calendar 7 Are you a transitioning youth with a disability? Go to page 4 to learn how the LEAP Awards may help you reach your goals! The ECNV Annual Awards Reception on June 11 was an enjoyable event for all. Virginia State Senator Toddy Puller accepted the ECNV Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to her by Delegate Patrick Hope and ECNV Board President Lee Page. Senator Puller spoke of her personal connection to disability rights since her late husband, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lewis Puller, Jr., lost both his legs serving in the Vietnam War. ECNV was also honored to have Senator Barbara Favola, Arlington County Board Member Jay Fissette, and Deputy Commissioner for Aging at the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Bob Brink attend. (Continued on page 2) (Left to right) ECNV Executive Director Brewster Thackeray, Lifetime Achievement Award winner State Senator Toddy Puller, and Deputy Commissioner for Aging at the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Bob Brink A New Dawn! By Doris Ray, Director of Advocacy It dawned like no other day – Wednesday, July 26, 1990. Filled with joyful anticipation, I stood on the South Lawn of the White House, along with 2,000 others from all over the United States, waiting to witness President George H.W. Bush sign the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 into law. Flooded with a myriad of thoughts and emotions, I was overcome with the sense I hadn’t come alone to this moment. My mother, my uncle, and my grandmother, all of whom were born blind, like me, were here with me in spirit! From an early age, the stories of the prejudice and discrimination they faced awakened my outrage and anger about the way society treated people with disabilities. My own experience included exclusion from my neighborhood school and busing across town to segregated classes with other blind students. At a state college after high school, I was offered an isolated, segregated dorm room President George Bush signing the reportedly because I’d be using readers and want to be alone. At the same Americans with Disabilities Act, White House South Lawn, Washington, DC, college, another blind student, who had earned a 4.0 GPA, was refused student teaching needed to graduate and teach high school English because July 26, 1990. she could not see the chalk board. She fought it and won, graduating summa cum laude. (Continued on page 3) July 2015 Page 2 ECNV Annual Awards Reception a Success (continued) Operating Partner Tony Bass accepted the ECNV Business Partnership award on behalf of P.F. Chang’s Arlington for their support of ECNV throughout the past year. Our partnership with P.F. Chang’s took the food at recent events to new heights! Delegate Patrick Hope Diana Urquiza was presented the Model of Independence Award by Executive Director Brewster Thackeray and Peer Mentor Alexa Mavroidis, who worked closely with Diana on her journey to independence. Diana spoke of her time living in a nursing home and how passionately she wanted to move back into her own apartment in the community. She thanked ECNV for helping her reach independence and stressed how important ECNV is in helping people live fully integrated and independent lives. Radney Robertson, American Airlines Director of Customer Care DCA This year’s Awards Reception celebrated three important disability rights milestones: the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the 30th Anniversary of the Virginians with Disabilities Act, and the 50th Anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare. ECNV is proud to have advocated for both the ADA and the Virginians with Disabilities Act early in its existence. Tony Bass (left) accepting the award for P.F. Chang’s Arlington from Lee Page Diana Urquiza (center) accepting award from Brewster Thackeray and Peer Mentor Alexa Mavroidis ECNV Board Member Bill Staderman We thank all our supporters for helping us to raise (left) with Vice President, Business more than $42,000 at this year's Awards Reception. Development Officer at the Bank of More than 10 percent of that was raised through the Georgetown, Kevin Cory generosity of silent auction donors and bidders. We especially want to thank our Silver Sponsors: the NOVIL Foundation and American Airlines; our ADA 25th Hosts: Henry Claypool and Eve Hill; and our Bronze Sponsors: Ameriprise Financial, Virginia Geoffrey and John Andelin, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, CENTECH, Diamond Transportation, Dr. Olakunle Olaniyan, Shola Oyewole, and Paralyzed Veterans of America. The silent auction was a big success with over 100 items. Top items included 175,000 American Airlines miles, Washington Nationals tickets, a signed football from the Washington Redskins, and luxury hotel stays. About 200 attendees enjoyed jazz music from Abby Nightingale, drinks, and delicious appetizers. (left-right) Speed Davis, ECNV Board Vice President Soula Antoniou, ECNV Board President Lee Page “We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support ECNV at the Annual Awards Reception,” said Executive Director Brewster Thackeray. “Though this event only happens once a year, it supports our important work of empowering people with disabilities to live independently throughout the entire year.” Guests at the Awards Reception For more pictures of the event by Hap Rust, please (left-right) Funke Oyewole, Bayo go to our website at www.ecnv.org. Oyewole, Taylor Werner, and Layo Oyewole The ECNV Declaration Page 3 A New Dawn! (continued) Upon graduation, I sought my first job but encountered barriers, including application forms that forced one to disclose one’s disability and interview appointments that were withdrawn upon arrival. Back then there was no recourse under the law. I recalled my friends and colleagues unable to enter government buildings, restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, movie theaters, and too many other places because they weren’t accessible. I bristled thinking of the downtown eatery that turned away one of my friends, saying that his cerebral palsy would offend other customers. I remembered my anger growing as I waited three hours with a visiting friend at Tyson’s Corner for a bus with a working lift while drivers either passed us by or claimed the lift was broken. I reflected on how we finally decided we’d had enough and organized as a cross-disability rights movement to advocate for our rights. It started in 1968 with returning Vietnam veterans and civilians with disabilities working to get a law requiring that all newly built or leased federal buildings and facilities be accessible. More advocacy by people with disabilities resulted in the Rehabilitation Act passing Congress in 1972, but President Nixon vetoed it because it contained the Title V disability rights provisions, including Section 504. In response, Judy Heumann led disability rights activists in a blockade of Times Square, gaining national news attention. Congress overrode Nixon’s veto. However, by 1978, even with a new President, Section 504 implementing regulations were still unsigned. The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, the first national grassroots, cross-disability organization, staged sit-ins at federal offices nationwide, leading to the Carter Administration finally signing the regulations. Section 504’s coverage was broad with entities getting federal funds, including state and local governments, schools and universities, and transit systems prohibited from discrimination based on disability and required to make programs and facilities accessible. Sadly, after a hopeful start, many states, localities, and other entities ignored Section 504, or were lax in enforcing it. Some, including most transit authorities, openly opposed its provisions and went to court and to the new Reagan Administration in 1981 trying to significantly weaken its requirements. Seeing our new found rights withering away, Americans with all types of disabilities joined in solidarity with renewed resolve to secure passage of a national civil rights law. ECNV Board of Directors Lee Page President Soula Antoniou Vice President Helena R. Berger Treasurer Tiffany Joslyn Starting in 1983, a national grassroots disability Secretary rights movement known as ADAPT began using Dolores Dabney direct action aimed at exposing the Maya Flores inaccessibility of American communities. Their Erica Midboe goal was to get the transit industry to drop its Julie Nepveu challenge to making buses and subways Wanita Niehaus accessible, and to highlight the need for William Staderman disability rights legislation, which would make access the law of the land. ECNV Staff Momentum built with more marches, rallies and Brewster Thackeray Executive Director protests from 1984-90. Centers for Independent Living, like ECNV, Community Services organized people with disabilities in Cynthia Evans communities throughout the country to Director advocate for disability rights. One Selvin Garcia result in Virginia was passage of the Brianna Gross Virginians with Disabilities Act in 1985. Alexa Mavroidis Other disability rights advocates Andrew Shaw worked the halls of Congress seeking support for an omnibus disability rights Medicaid Programs act. Layo Oyewole A final push to get a bill through Congress culminated in a massive disability rights march and crawl up the Capitol steps in 1990. Finally, after a historic public debate, both Houses of Congress passed the bill and sent it to President Bush for signature. And, so here we were at the White House. President Bush mounted the stage. He spoke those beautiful words, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” And, with the flick of his pen, it was done, and everything had changed! Changed – did I really think that all of the physical and attitudinal barriers had simply disappeared with the signing of the ADA? We all knew there would be years of struggle and advocacy ahead. But, in that wonderful, jubilant moment, we could revel in what we had achieved. For the first time, we had rights under the law, and we had recourse against the injustice of discrimination. Access was the law of the land. It was a new dawn, like no other – and, we weren’t going back! Director Rachel Henry Hannah Manila Jennifer Reese Advocacy Doris Ray Director Accounting Jorge Pineda Administrative Ruchika Lalwani LEND Office Tracee Garner Jennifer Reese ECNV Project Contractors Robert Lo Ed Weiss July 2015 Page 4 The Tapestry of the Way We Were By Lenore Levin, Recent ECNV Board Member As we look back to a time prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I reflect on a significant memory. My older brother broke his neck in a car accident and became quadriplegic. He went for rehabilitation to Rusk Institute in New York City where his roommate was a young man named Speed Davis from Kansas City, Missouri who had broken his neck in an accident the same year. When I was six years old, my mother brought me to the rehab hospital to hand out cookies to my brother and the other quadriplegics, including Speed. Fiftyone years later, while attending the ECNV Annual Awards Reception, I introduced myself to a man in a wheelchair, only to find out it was Speed, my brother’s former roommate. on Disability from 1994 to 1998 and was the President of the Committee on Handicapped Adults with Disabilities in the Office on Disability Policy in the Department of Labor. “Life happens and sometimes we acquire a disability,” said Speed. “It's only one part of our lives. We need to seek the freedom and ability to pursue the other parts of our lives successfully." Speed was close friends with Judy Heumann. Judy is an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and was a vital player in the disability rights movement. In 1974 she worked on legislation that would later become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) while serving as a legislative assistant to the Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. She was also active in the independent living movement and became the deputy director of the Center for Independent As an active member of ECNV and a former board Living in Berkley. Among her most notable early member, I find myself reconnected to incredible disability accomplishments was leading the sit-in that blocked advocates who worked within the disability rights Madison Avenue in New York City in 1972 to protest movement long before the ADA was enacted including Nixon’s veto of the Rehabilitation Act. This demonstration Speed, leading disability rights advocate and Special and others from across the country were pivotal in Advisor for International Disability Rights at the Department convincing Congress to override the veto and vote the of State Judy Heumann, and ECNV Director of Advocacy Rehabilitation Act into law in 1973. Doris Ray. We all came to disability rights separately and in different ways, but through our journeys have met and As a recent college graduate, Doris Ray saw Judy and the fought for equal rights together. other demonstrators blocking Madison Avenue on the nightly news. A third generation blind woman, she knew Speed’s first professional advocacy was in St. Louis, MO, first-hand the prejudices and discrimination that people with where he was instrumental in starting Paraquad, a Center disabilities had always faced. for Independent Living. He was the Chair of the National Paraplegic Foundation, then moved to Boston to work at “When I saw them taking over Madison Ave. on national TV the National Spinal Cord Injury Association of Newton, MA I was in tears. I never dreamed that I would ever meet where he met the current ECNV Board Vice President Judy,” Doris said. Soula Antoniou. Speed later served on the National Council But, eight years later, Doris attended the American Another Chance for LEAP Those selected to receive an Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities conference where Awards Coming Soon… award will be announced by Judy was speaking and met her for the first time. When July 10. Doris became one of the co-founders of ECNV in 1983, she Thanks to a grant from The was right at the forefront of fighting for the Virginians with HSC Foundation, ECNV is However, if you missed the Disabilities Act and later the Americans with Disabilities offering assistance to first deadline, there’s great Act. individuals with disabilities news! Starting Monday, July ages 14 to 26. The Life Enrichment Awards Program (LEAP) Awards are given to help young consumers reach a transitioning life goal. Examples include tuition assistance, funding to start a business, tutoring and personal instruction, attire for an interview or other such expenses. They are items not covered by Medicaid or insurance and will be purchased directly by ECNV. 13, we will again accept applications for the final round of 2015 awards. The deadline to submit your application is Friday, August 21. Awards will be announced by Monday, September 7. To learn more about this opportunity please go to www.ecnv.org or send an email to Cynthia Evans at cynthiae@ecnv.org. Doris, Judy, and Speed are only a few incredible advocates who are now connected to ECNV. I personally have seen the movement from all sides. My brother, mother, and father were all nursing home patients. I spent my career providing services to the elderly and people with disabilities. My husband also acquired a disability. In 1997, I found myself a hospital patient, then a rehab patient and ECNV consumer after sustaining a brain injury. I later became an ECNV Board member. Advocacy has always been my passion. Reflecting back to before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and looking ahead, I am grateful to know so many amazing advocates as we continue to work together to fight for full inclusion. The ECNV Declaration Page 5 Voices of Generation ADA Generation ADA are people with disabilities born after the ADA was enacted. Hear from two Generation ADA advocates: Sarah Goldman, graduate student When I look back on my life as a person with a disability, I think of all the challenges and obstacles I’ve had to overcome to have equal opportunity in society. I often find myself frustrated wishing things could be different and feel overwhelmed by where I should start in fixing the many barriers. Yet in the midst of my frustration, I remind myself of how lucky I am, knowing that if I had been alive over 25 years ago, before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, I would not have had nearly as many accommodations in my daily life as a person with a disability as I do now. I think about how grateful I am to be able to go to almost any public place and have no steps or curbs for my wheelchair to get over, how I can ride almost any form of public transportation with little to no barriers, and how I’ve been able to successfully attend and graduate from a public university having been 100% accommodated on campus both within and outside the classroom. These are all things I take for granted on a daily basis, but before the ADA passed, these realities I take for granted would have been more obstacles to overcome. independence to live away from home, watching thousands of people with disabilities at the U.S. Capitol begging to have their voices heard, watching people get out of their wheelchairs and fight to climb flights of stairs of the Capitol, and being arrested for wanting equal rights. These people, who are just like me, paved the way for this generation to be accommodated by the ADA. That day, they became my role models, and watching them sparked a fire in my soul. I discovered that my passion is to be a role model and continue paving the way for those with disabilities in my generation and the generations to come. When I’m tired of fighting challenges and barriers, I remind myself of those that came before and how they fought for me to be where I am today. I remind myself how lucky I am to have a voice that can be used to speak up for myself and for others that do not have a voice. Most importantly, I remind myself of how lucky I am to have a purpose of being a trailblazer and vessel for change on this earth. I am so excited about the ADA’s 25th anniversary this year and for the opportunity to be in Washington, DC for the celebration and NCIL conference. Getting to network with other advocates like myself re-energizes me and helps fuel my purpose. Together, we can combine our strengths and I remember sitting in my social policy class watching the passion to help make a difference for the next generation documentary, Lives Worth Living. It was the first time I was of ADA 25. One of my favorite sayings is: You must be the exposed to disability history and it overwhelmed me with change you wish to see in the world, because if not us, emotion. I remember watching Ed Roberts fight for his who? And if not now, when? Happy Birthday, ADA! Maddy Ruvolo, Chair of the NCIL Youth Caucus, Systems Change Advocate at Marin Center for Independent Living As a member of Generation ADA (or, in keeping with our millennial status and propensity for social media #GenerationADA), I have had the great privilege to grow up in a post-ADA world. Most significantly for me, as someone with a chronic illness, this has meant accommodations in the classroom and in the workplace. It means curb cuts and accessible transit for many of my friends, and it has given this generation the confidence to expect our rights. We are so grateful for the activists who chained themselves to buses and crawled up the steps of the Capitol and executed the longest sitin of a government building in U.S. history. We are also frustrated, because 25 years after the ADA, it feels like we should be further along. Of course, growing up after the ADA passage hasn’t meant But we are translating that frustration the disappearance of ableism in our lives. We are intimately into action as best we can - working in advocacy familiar with the stigma associated with our disabilities, the organizations, blogging about our personal experiences, pitying glances or the inaccessibility of so many spaces or bringing our perspectives into other social justice the accusations of fraud when we dare request those movements. I know so many amazing disabled young legally guaranteed accommodations. For disabled youth of people who are already doing incredible work, and I think color, queer disabled youth, and low income disabled the disability community has every reason to be excited youth, the barriers are that much greater. Though we about the next generation of activists. undoubtedly have it better than generations before, there is still tremendous work to be done. Generation ADA is here for the fight. Sarah and Maddy will be presenting workshops at the NCIL Annual Conference on Independent Living. For more information, go to www.ncil.org/2015-annual-conference-on-independent-living July 2015 Page 6 25th Anniversary ADA Events Josh Blue, An Evening of Comedy Thursday, July 16th, 5:40 - 7:00 p.m., Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free, no tickets required. Headliner Josh Blue won the fourth season of NBC’s reality series Last Comic Standing. As a comedian living with cerebral palsy, Blue centers much of his act on his disability. This performance is being offered in collaboration with the U. S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. www.2540celebration.com/events/event/celebration-opening-performance/ ADA 25th Anniversary: Championing Disability Rights July 16th - August 2nd, 10:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m., Kennedy Center Family Theater Lower Lobby As one of the chief sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Senator Edward M. Kennedy ensured that millions of Americans living with disabilities would be protected against discrimination. This exhibit examines the Senator’s contributions to the passage of this legislation, and includes two portraits from the VSA Permanent Art Collection of Senator Kennedy by well-known artists Andy Warhol and Jamie Wyeth. www.2540celebration.com/events/event/ada-25th-anniversarychampioning-disability-rights/ © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. The Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990-2015 July 20 – TBA, American History Museum, 2nd Floor Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 was a landmark moment in Civil Rights. The legislation made clear that disability was not a medical issue but rather one of equality. The museum features objects from the national collections that capture the significance and legacy of the ADA through the stories of four people. www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/The-Americans-with-Disabilities-Act-1990-2015-5582 Conversations on Latinos and the ADA Friday, July 24th, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m., National Museum of American History This brainy gathering of professors, activists, and professionals from around the country takes on the historical and cultural issues related to how disability has been understood among Latinos/as in the United States. http://americanhistory.si.edu/events#/?i=5 Disability Film Festival Saturday, July 25th, 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. National Museum of American History, Warner Theater The museum screens three documentary films made by or about people with disabilities. Following each film, a curator moderates a lively conversation among the audience members, directors, historians, or others connected to the production. americanhistory.si.edu/events#/?i=2 ADA25 Legacy Bus and Disability Rights Museum on Wheels Sunday, July 26th, 12:00 p.m.— 4:00 p.m., National Museum of American History, Madison Drive on Mall side of the Museum grounds. The bus and the traveling museum will spend the afternoon at the museum, creating historic photo-ops for its many followers. americanhistory.si.edu/events#/?i=2 Americans with Disabilities Act 25th Anniversary: A Celebration of Pride, Power, and Promise, Monday, July 27th, 7:00 p.m. — 11: 00 p.m. Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St. NW Washington, DC 20001. Tickets can be purchased at www.disabilityleadership.org. This community-wide celebration is being hosted by the National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) and will be the largest ADA Anniversary event in the United States. NCIL 2015 Annual Conference on Independent Living, and March & Rally to US Capitol Monday, July 27th through Thursday, July 30th Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St. NW Washington, DC 20001. NCIL’s Annual Conference draws individuals of all ages and disabilities from all 50 states. Registration at www.ncil.org/2015-annual-conference-on-independent-living/. The NCIL March and Rally — starting at the Grand Hyatt and going to the Capitol— are free and those who are not registered for the conference are invited to participate. ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia Events Contact Ruchika Lalwani for ECNV events at (703) 525-3268 or RuchikaL@ecnv.org unless otherwise indicated. Thurs 9 Fri 10 Tues 21 Fri 24 1:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m. EXCEL! Employment Networking Group at ECNV, 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 305, Arlington, 22201. This month’s topic will be Stress Reduction Techniques by Mark Gorkin, a therapist and humorist known as the “Stress Doc.” RSVP to excel@ecnv.org. 6:00 p.m. The ENDependents Social Group will be meeting for TGIF Dinner at Delhi Dhaba, 2424 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201. You are warmly invited to join us! Cost is just the food you order. 1:30 p.m. Transportation Options Seminar, ECNV, 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 305, Arlington, 22201. A discussion of transportation options & resources with ECNV’s Travel Trainers and WMATA’s Travel Trainer Cherie Leporatti. RSVP to andrews@ecnv.org. 5:30 p.m. The ENDependents Social Group at ECNV, 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 305, Arlington, 22201. Join us for food and fun for $5! Disability Advocacy Wed 1 12:00 p.m. INOVA Stroke Support Group, Fair Oaks Medical Campus, 3580 Joseph Siewick Drive, Inova Cancer Center, Lower Level – Room B, Fairfax, 22033. Contact Helen Parker at helen.parker@inova.org. Wed 8 7:00 p.m.— 9:00 p.m. Fairfax Long Term Care Coordinating Council, Fairfax County Government Center - Conference Rooms 9 and 10, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, 22035. Contact Patricia Rohrer at 703-324-2051, TTY 711. Wed 8 7:00 p.m. Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities (ACPD), Chet & Sabra Avery Room 2000, City Hall, 301 King St., Alexandria, 22314. Contact Mike Hatfield at (703) 746-3148(V) or mike.hatfield@alexandriava.gov. Thurs 9 7:00 p.m. National Federation of the Blind of Virginia Potomac Chapter, St. George's Episcopal Church, Room 115, Arlington. For more information call (703) 646-1130 or potomacnfb@gmail.com. Thurs 16 7:00 p.m. Loudoun Disability Services Board (DSB), Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St. S.E. Leesburg, 20177. Contact Catherine Motivans, catherine.motivans@loudoun.gov or (571) 258-3282. Thurs 16 6:30 p.m. National Federation of the Blind of Virginia Fairfax Chapter, the Providence Community Center, 3001 Vaden Drive, Fairfax, 22031. Contact John Bailey at (703) 994-2040 or john_baily17@hotmail.com. Tues 21 7:00 p.m. Arlington County Disability Advisory Commission (ACDAC), 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Conference Room 311, 3rd Floor Arlington, 22201. Contact Anna Maynard, (703) 228-7096 (V/TTY) or amaynard@arlingtonva.us. Mon 27 Thru Thurs 30 NCIL 2015 Annual Conference on Independent Living, Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. NCIL’s Annual Conference draws individuals of all ages and disabilities from all 50 states. Registration at www.ncil.org/2015-annual-conference-on-independent-living/. Thurs 30 Thru Fri 31 Arlington Getting It Right Workshop!, Hilton Arlington, 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, 22203. Provides tools to facilitate full integration and inclusion in every aspect of emergency preparedness. Register at http://www.portlight.org/page.html. Community Events Sat 4 Mon 27 Thru Sat 1 8:00 p.m. 4th of July Concert and Fireworks, The National Mall, Washington, D.C. Live concert by the National Symphony Orchestra and several pop artists on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building. The concert is followed by fireworks over the Washington Monument. Free event. Loudoun County Fair, Loudoun County Fairgrounds, 17564 Dry Mill Rd. Leesburg, 20175. Schedule of events and tickets at loudouncountyfair.com. With your help, ECNV connects people with disabilities to training and advocacy tools so we can achieve, maintain, and maximize our freedom. Please join ECNV and support our work as a $50 ENDependence Advocate – or with the membership contribution that you can best afford today. $100 Champion of Independent Living (CIL) $50 ENDependence Advocate $15 Friend of ECNV $_________ Self Advocate (Your choice of amount) It is easy to make a donation to ECNV today with a check made payable to ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia and mailed to our office at 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 305, Arlington VA 22201; or by using PayPal to make a donation via our website at www.ecnv.org. ECNV can also accept credit cards over the phone at (703) 525-3268. Thank you for your support! ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia, Inc. (ECNV) 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 305 Arlington, VA 22201 Voice: (703) 525-ECNV (3268) TTY: (703) 525-3553 Fax: (703) 525-3585 Email: info@ecnv.org • Website: www.ecnv.org