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On July 21, the Suffolk Independent Living Organization (SILO) celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
SILO is a non-profit organization that’s been providing services and programs to people with disabilities in Suffolk County since 1985. There are currently 42 Independent Living Centers throughout New York State and over 300 throughout the country.
“We were designed by a federal law in the 80s for the purpose of providing services for people of all disabilities for all ages,” said Joseph Delgado, CEO of SILO. “Our services extend from any age.”
SILO was founded by June Roberts in 1982. Suffolk Independent Living Organization’s beliefs were tied to the nationwide Independent Living Movement which asserts that people with disabilities have the same rights and responsibilities, needs and desires, as their non-disabled peers. June took her vision and with the help, of, Frank Krotschinsky, Roy Probeyahn, Anne Pavlak, and current Board President Mary Ann Sciacca, and others and with the support of such notable individuals as State Senators Caesar Trunzo and Kenneth LaValle she opened SILO in order to provide needed resources for the disabled population, according to the SILO website.
“It wasn’t until 1990 that we finally got our civil rights and that’s the American Disabilities Act,” Delgado said. “It’s a celebration, but with all of the great things that happened we still have a long way to go.”
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The event consisted of free boxed lunches, a petting zoo, live music, raffles, games, prizes and more. It was a day of acknowledgement for the ADA, however SILO has plans for the future. SILO will continue to provide services, but they will also advocate to get people out of nursing homes and back into their own community.
“We need to make sure that we never go back to those institutes, just because they have an intellectual developmental disability or if they’re under the spectrum,” Delgado said. “We need to afford those people opportunity to participate in the community.”
To learn more about SILO and to become an advocate, log onto the organization’s website.
