Independent Living briefly
Letter from Bulgaria
I write on behalf of the Center for Independent Living - Sofia, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, with a request to support CIL and people with disabilities in Bulgaria with your best stories.
Center for Independent Living (CIL) is Sofia-based private non-profit organization of people with disabilities. CIL mission is to promote an approach to disability that validates each person's potential rather than casting him or her aside because of a physical or mental impairment, which means independent living for all and everyone.
Currently CIL implements a Mobilization project to include disabled Bulgarians in civil society, financed by US Embassy in Bulgaria. The main goal is to empower people with disabilities in Bulgaria and encourage their participation. A tool for achieving this objective could be success stories as examples for feasibility of participation.
Traditionally people with disabilities have been isolated from the mainstream of education and economic participation; forced into dependent, powerless roles. Unfortunately most of the disabled people and the public at large in Bulgaria hardly know the philosophy of the independent living and know almost nothing about the Disabled History in the United States.
That is why CIL and Friends try to collect a video- and book library with best practices and success stories from USA. We plan to translate and deliver for airing - on non-commercial basis- videocassettes to local TV stations and to the Bulgarian National Television.
We are looking for short success video-stories of disabled individuals at work or school (kindergarten, secondary school, college, and university); stories of successful public campaigns resulting in policy change; good practices of social and community services for disabled people; short presentations of a successful organization of people with disabilities.
Please, let us know if any special conditions are in force as to the videotapes you are in possession.
We will highly appreciate if you recommend us other organizations and resource centers in US, who could be able to support our project.
Please, let me know if you are interested to learn more about Center for Independent Living - Sofia and my country Bulgaria.
Kamelia A. Stancheva
CIL's friend
Center for Independent Living - Sofia
2, Gurguliat Street
Sofia 1000, Bulgaria, Europe
Tel./fax: (+359 2) 989 88 57, 980 58 39
e-mail: cil@bitex.com
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