I conducted interviews with top staff at three independent living centers in New York City to find out how many Latinos they were serving, and what services were being provided. All three centers serve large numbers of Latinos. I discovered that many Latino customers request assistance on employment and housing issues.

Bronx Independent Living Center

Lorenzo William (L.W.) is the executive director of the Bronx Independent Living Center. Ms. Patricia Ross (P.R.) is the program coordinator for domestic violence and disability.

L.C.: Please describe your agency.

L.W.: The Bronx Independent Living Center's philosophy is to empower people with disabilities to make their own decisions. We consider ourselves a self-help agency, in other words, we help our consumers help themselves. We do not tell them what services they need. Whatever they come in for we assist them with and let them make their own choices.

Our center provides assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and to people with disabilities. We provide guidance and help them with problems with social security applications, advocating for housing and refer people to job training opportunities, but only if they request it. We also refer customers to Vocational Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) for job training and VESID trains them and places them in jobs.

L.C.: How many disabled Latino consumers have you referred to VESID?

P.R.: I would say it is very low, about 23.

L.C.: How many of your consumers are Latinos with disabilities?

L.W.: We have 1,007 consumers and 548 are Latinos.

L.C.: And what would you say is the kind of service they are mostly seeking?

P.R.: Almost everybody wants housing.

L.C.: Do you have bilingual people on staff?

L.W.: We have 7 bilingual staffs.

L.C.: How do the customers find out about your services?

P.R.: We do outreach programs, they get info from VESID, word of mouth is very good.

L.W.: I think we can partner with Latino organizations to explore possibilities to work together to better serve Latinos with disabilities. I would like our agency to link with other centers and exchange views and resources, come up with a strategic plan as to how we can better give people with disabilities more accessibility and services to improve their lives.

Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled

Sandrina Kingston (S.K.) is the Independent Living Coordinator at the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled. The center seeks to empower the disabled community and integrate people into the community as much as possible. In order to do that they provide support services on housing, benefits, etc. They also work with young adults and schools.

L.C.: What is the starting age of this program?

S.K.: 16 - 21 year-old young adults and we assist with the transition from high school to the workforce.

L.C.: How many are Latino?

S.K.: We have 255 Latinos but we serve all the different nationalities.

L.C.: Do you have bilingual staff?

SK: We have staff that speak Russian, Polish, Creole and one part-time staff that speaks Spanish. Previously we had 4 Spanish-speaking staffers, but not now unfortunately. We also we have American Sign Language interpretation available on Tuesdays.

LC: Do you have any information published in Spanish?

SK: Our newsletter includes material in Spanish and we provide translators if we are not successful at communicating with a Spanish-speaking consumer. When we order written resources, we order English, Spanish and other languages to provide the widest variety of languages possible.

LC: How many of the Latino consumers request assistance on employment? What services do you provide individuals who request employment assistance?

SK: We have only provided employment assistance to about 26 Latino consumers. If the jobseeker is job ready and we just need to get resumes prepared, we help them send their resume out. We also have a special youth coordinator work with the younger jobseekers. Not every consumer is not job ready. We help with knowledge about what to expect once they get a job. However, we do not find jobs for them. Instead we refer them to VESID for more hands-on job placement activities including training and job placement.

LC: Do you have a particular staff person who is dedicated to helping connect jobseekers to employment training?

SK: Most of the staff can assist on benefits and employment.

LC: How do your consumers find out about your services?

SK: We have a web site and informational brochures. Sometimes we host family support fairs and support groups for people with disabilities.

LC: Are your consumers mostly from the immediate area?

SK: Our consumers come from different boroughs in New York. We serve many people who live in project housing from a variety of neighborhoods.

LC: Would you say that people are looking more into information about benefits rather than employment?

SK: Unfortunately some people are not interested in working because they are afraid of how it will affect their benefits.

Queens Independent Living Center

Luis Rivera is the program coordinator at the Queens Independent Living Center (QILC). Rivera believes independent living is about choices and equal opportunities. The QILC staff lets persons with disabilities make their own decisions about working, housing, learning, etc. QILC offers advice and assistance with services on transportation, accessible housing, accommodations, employment, education and discrimination.

L.C.: How many of your consumers are Latinos with disabilities?

LR: We have 800 consumers who are Latino.

L.C.: What is the most commonly requested service by Latinos?

LR: Assistance securing housing and benefits are the biggest requests.

L.C.: How do you provide assistance toward employment?

LR: Unfortunately there are not very many requests for employment. Mostly, people are afraid of losing their benefits. We do find that young people request employment assistance more often. In our Benefits, Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) program we have 150 Latino consumers who are either working or in employment training programs. We have a computer center and it is often used by younger consumers who want to work. We assist with computer training, resume preparation and distribution. We also advise them on work incentives, asset development programs, trial work opportunities, and how long they can keep their benefits after they start to work. In terms of job placement, we do not do job placement. Instead we refer them to VESID to train them and place them in jobs.

L.C.: Do you have bilingual staff?

LR: We have six Spanish-speaking staff and most of them have disabilities.

L.C.: How do the customers find out about your services?

L.R.: We reach out through a newsletter, brochures and other bilingual (Spanish) marketing materials. We also get a lot of referrals via word-of-mouth.

In addition, QILC hosts an Art Gallery Show that attracts an audience of disabled and non-disabled people. The Independent Arts Gallery is dedicated to integrating artists with disabilities into the mainstream art community. The show has been a part of the QILC since 1987 and we keep art by disabled people on display at our center year 'round.

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