Center for Independent Living Gulf Coast - Fort Myers, FL

Location: Fort Myers, FL.

CILGC is solely dedicated to empowering people with disabilities, regardless of age, in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties. We offer services that assist people with disabilities, we help them acquire skills, find services, housing, transportation, employment and physical access to public and private facilities as the means to achieving a quality of life.

The Center for Independent Living of Gulf Coast has been providing consumers with disabilities an accessible link to their life’s goals since 1992. With a consumer driven agenda, our focus is on providing various core services to assist them in achieving their goals. Our mission is to help persons with disabilities achieve independence and self-determination in their lives. In doing so, the following are noteworthy action items we have employed:

• With 80% of our consumers having as their #1 goal to either improve or acquire independent living skills, we have concentrated our efforts to expand our Independent Living Skills class agendas.

• We have initiated a Job Skills program offering training in all aspects of the employment processes including resume writing, the job search, the interview, and actual on-the- job training skills.

• We have partnered with local businesses in advocating for our consumers actively seeking jobs.

• For consumer socialization goals, we operate a clubhouse where they can engage in activities and games that encourage socialization skills.

• To prepare our consumers for living independently, we offer money and budgeting classes.

• Since we live in an electronic age, our computer classes help our consumers acquire skills for job searches, online banking, internet searches, etc.

• To teach our consumers how to maintain an orderly household using eco-friendly cleaning products, we offer green cleaning classes as we are sensitive to those with chemical sensitivities.

• On an individual basis, we may offer select consumers coaching on setting up household budgets, prepare for driver’s education tests, or GED testing.

We are lead by a team of dedicated Board of Directors, charged with the responsibility to govern the corporation. CILGC is responsible to the stakeholders, or everyone that can be affected by our services in the local communities.