Getting Fit to Live, Work, and Play! is a five-year initiative that aims to improve quality of life for all people with disabilities through education and access to health and fitness programs and information. The project is funded by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, and housed and operated by the Texas State Independent Living Council’s local partners, Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living (CIL), LIFE/RUN CIL, and Volar CIL. These partnerships ensure that our services are designed, directed, and delivered by qualified people, many of whom have disabilities themselves.Getting Fit to Live, Work and Play! has a three-tiered approach to developing programs that improve health. The first tier focuses on increasing the availability of and access to fitness programs for people with disabilities. The second tier connects people with disabilities to established health programs in pilot areas. With help from trained professionals, project participants develop and execute fitness plans to help them reach self-defined goals. The final tier focuses on increasing awareness of the importance of health and fitness programs for people with disabilities.
Financial Support for the Texas SILC Health & Fitness project is provided by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, with Federal funds* made available by the United States Department of Health And Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities. *$245,000 (80%) DD funds; $52,000 (20%) non-federal resources.
Partnering Centers for Independent Living
All activities are guided by the Independent Living (IL) movement. The IL movement advocates for the empowerment of people with disabilities to make their own decisions and life choices to the greatest extent possible. It also advocates a person’s right to live in the least restrictive environment, with the same rights and privileges as other people.
Getting Fit to Live, Work, and Play! holds strong to this movement while promoting peer support, self-help, self-determination, equality, and positive systematic change within the program.
The Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living is a consumer-based and controlled, cross-disability, cross-cultural, and non-residential, private nonprofit corporation (Pending 501 (c) (3) status). BVCIL serves the counties of Brazos, Burleson, Madison, Robertson and Washington. The organization’s mission is to promote the full inclusion and participation of individuals with disabilities in all aspects of community life.
The health and fitness program at BVCIL is community-based and uses pre-established community wellness programs to create a comprehensive structure that both improves consumer health and facilitates participation in a wide variety of local activities.
Programs:
- Walking Group
- Dance
- Yoga
- Cooking Class
- Meditation / Stress Management
LIFE/RUN Center for Independent Living is a non-profit organization committed to empowering people with disabilities to exercise self-determination as they strive to conquer the physical and attitudinal barriers in achieving a life of dignity, equality, independence, and full inclusion. Founded in 1988, LIFE/RUN serves the counties of Lubbock, Hale, Hockley, Lamb, Lynn, Crosby, Garza, Floyd, and Terry.
LIFE/RUN operates a health and fitness program that focuses on in-house activities take place in the Larry C. Gardner Activity Center. The center contains fully accessible exercise equipment and serves as a forum for social and recreational activities that promotes the mental aspects of wellness, as well as encourages physical fitness and nutritional health. The gym is open from 1:30 to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Programs:
- Healthy Cooking Class
- Tai Chi
- Resistance Bands
- X Box Sports
- Relaxation
- X Box Dance Central
Volar Center for Independent Living is located in and serves El Paso. Volar’s mission is to serve as advocates for human and civil rights and to empower people with diverse disabilities to live the lives they choose. Volar provides four core services: information and referral, skills training, peer counseling, and advocacy. In addition, based on the needs of El Paso, Volar CIL offers transportation training, relocation services, assistive devices, and support services.
Volar’s health and fitness program is community-based. Like the Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living, Volar uses resources throughout El Paso to engage their consumers in physical activities, social events, and nutritional education. Using the community as a resource allows consumers to engage their surroundings and ultimately enables each consumer to become more involved in his or her city.
Programs:
- Walking Group
- Cooking Class
- Dance
- Meditation
- Yoga