Accessible Trails

Toby Talbot/AP Photo

What a View -- VCIL Executive Director Deborah Lisi-Baker enjoys the sights from the Camels Hump View Trail July 26 in Duxbury. The view trail is part of a nationwide push in the past few years to make more of the outdoors accessible to people with disabilities.

A story by Associated Press writer David Gram, along with gorgeous photos such as this one by Toby Talbot, ran in Vermont newspapers over the summer. And recently Deborah was interviewed by Maria Trombetta of an online magazine for people with disabilities (www.fulcrum-magazine.com). Look for that story about accessible trails in Vermont soon.

Living Well

Photo by Stefanie Monte

Where The Rubber Hits the Road -- On a September morning, Morgan W. Brown hits the road on his bicycle. Read all about his adventures on the Living Well pages of the Autumn issue of The Independent.

Road to Freedom Travels Through Vermont

Photos by Stefanie Monte

Get On The Bus For Freedom -- Attending the Road to Freedom event in Burlington on Sept. 13, are, from left, Scott Goyette of Burlington, Marcy Ryan of Winooski, Ed Paquin, executive director of Vermont Protection & Advocacy, and Deborah Lisi-Baker, executive director of the Vermont Center for Independent Living.

Get On The Bus For Equal Opportunity -- Jean Mankowsky speaks at the Road to Freedom event in Montpelier on Sept. 14. She described growing up with a disability and finding her way from seeing herself as an unwilling recipient of charity to experiencing herself as a person who could be (and was) a catalyst for change. Holding the microphone is Jean's husband, Dennis Upham.

Read more about the Road to Freedom bus tour in the Autumn issue of The Independent, which should be posted on the VCIL Web site in the near future.

Welcome to VCIL's Blog

Welcome to the Vermont Center for Independent Living's new blog. It is a work in progress, so please be patient with us.

It has been a busy year for us so far. A highlight was the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Celebration on July 26. It was held on the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier.

This photo shows VCIL Board member John Hall, left, his wife, Harriet Hall, and VCIL Executive Director Deborah Lisi-Baker chatting with Gov. James Douglas.