Peer/IL Skills
About Peer Support and Independent Living Skills (IL Skills)
If you have a disability and would like to discuss your concerns about issues affecting your ability to lead an independent lifestyle, ILRC's Peer Support Program can help.
The Peer Support Program simply is consumers helping consumers. Whether as individuals or groups, consumers come together to share and build unique relationships that empower each individual to find their own way in a friendly, non-judgmental environment.
Who is a consumer?
If you are a person with a disability then you are a consumer that is applicable for services from the ILRC.
Examples of Peer groups are:
- Invisible Disabilities
- Self Advocacy Network
- Transition
Examples of topics discussed are:
- Knowledge of ILRC Programs and community resources
- Transition to an independent lifestyle
- Working out attendant staff personality conflicts
- Dealing with public attitudes towards disability
- Transportation and housing
- Employment and education
- Body image and self-esteem
- Isolation
- Sexuality, relationships and pregnancy
- Other issues as they arise
Benefits
- Opportunity to broaden your pool of resources and build new relationships
- Learn from experiences of others and learn problem solving techniques
- Chance to develop facilitation, planning and leadership skills
- Opportunity for growth and wellness
Consumers are encouraged to take control & responsibility for the content and direction of each group. Discussions within peer often lay the framework for IL Skills training workshops.
IL or Independent Living Skills
Life skills such as self-direction, assertiveness and relationships form the basis of independence. Often, these abilities need to be learned or strengthened for independent living to be fully realized. At ILRC, we offer the opportunity to realize independent living goals through Independent Living Skills training.
Presented either in a group setting or individually, our seminars and instruction have focused on such topics as:
- Self-confidence, sexuality and self-image
- Self-advocacy, rights and responsibilities
- Self-management and other topics/issues as they arise.
The need for skills changes continually and our list of topics relies on your expressed directions and requests. The resources we draw upon to present them reflect this diversity.
We develop areas of instruction in response to common concerns and individual requests and use a combination of:
- Media
- Guest speakers
- Group involvement to present the information
Independent Living Skills seminars not only provide the chance to learn useful techniques and approaches to the challenges of independent living, they serve another purpose as well.
Many people with diverse interests attend our seminars so it's also a great opportunity to meet others and form friendships.
The Peer Support meetings and IL skills workshops compliment one another to promote growth and wellness.
Whether skills development is your goal, or whether you would like to meet people who share many of your interests and concerns, ILRC seminars are the place to do it!
Peer/IL Skills