The Access Center

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

🌟 Share Your Story with ACIL! 🌟
Has the Access Center for Independent Living (ACIL) helped you find housing, access resources, or gain independent living skills? We want to hear from you! 🙌 Since 1984, we've been empowering individuals in Dayton and beyond. Now, we're turning to YOU to help spread the word!
We’re excited to feature YOUR stories on our social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Whether it's a personal success story or an advocacy issue close to your heart, we want to highlight your experiences to inspire others. 💪✨
Ready to share your journey or talk about an important cause? Reach out to our Independent Living and Communications Specialist, Allison Boot, at 937-341-5202 Ext 114 or email allison.boot@acils.com.
Let’s show the world that individuals with disabilities can thrive and lead fulfilling lives! 🌟

05/28/2026

May 15th to June 15th is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month.

Living with Tourette’s can be incredibly challenging.

It’s not just about the visible tics; it's the ongoing effort beneath the surface.

Many children and adults spend their days suppressing tics, particularly in environments like school, work, or public places. This can lead to significant stress, anxiety, and both mental and physical exhaustion.

The urge to tic can build up, becoming uncomfortable or painful, and when suppression ends, tics often intensify and become more frequent. This can leave individuals feeling drained, overwhelmed, and misunderstood.

Living with Tourette’s can impact confidence, energy levels, and emotional wellbeing, especially when others don’t understand that tics are involuntary.

Tourette’s is not a choice.

Tics cannot be controlled.

Understanding makes a real difference.

Kindness, patience, and support matter every day.



Image Description :Teal ribbon design with "No One Fights Alone" text, conveying a message of hope and support for those with Tourette Syndrome.

05/26/2026

May is Mobility Awareness Month 💜

The Access Center is celebrating the diverse ways individuals navigate the world using wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, canes, prosthetics, and other mobility aids that promote independence and self-determination. Mobility encompasses access, autonomy, and the fundamental right to traverse our communities without obstacles.

This month, we pay tribute to the individuals with disabilities who depend on mobility aids, the advocates striving for accessible environments, and the ongoing efforts to ensure that mobility is recognized as a civil right. Everyone deserves the freedom to move through the world safely and with dignity.



Image Description :Illustration posters showing diverse people walking, wheeling, and signaling mobility needs, “National Mobility Awareness Month”.

05/23/2026

Disability Rights Ohio recently released a joint statement this week regarding the latest attack on Home and Community-Based Services. This statement was supported by Disability Rights Ohio, The Ohio Olmstead Task Force, Disability Advocates, individuals with disabilities, and a number of Centers for Independent Living including The Access Center

To view the full press release, visit:Disability Rights Ohio - : The Guise of “Doing Right”

When changes are being planned that will impact the care options for people with disabilities, the should have a spot at the table.Recently, policymakers and political candidates here in Ohio have taken aim at access to home and community-based services under the guise of “combating fraud and abus...

05/20/2026

Fostering Early Understanding of Disability and Inclusion in Children

Carousel text: Kids aren’t born thinking disability is weird or sad or a tragedy...

As they develop, kids begin to observe differences around them. They notice how peers and adults react to these differences, often hearing terms like “weird,” “not cool,” and “strange.” They become aware of adults silencing legitimate questions, displaying discomfort, and avoiding the topic altogether.

Early exposure and education are crucial, but continuous engagement and learning are even more significant! Inclusion shouldn’t be a one-off lesson; it’s a principle we must teach, model, and reinforce consistently throughout our children’s development.

05/20/2026

📣 How to Be a Disability Ally

Engaging with the disability community is an important step everyone should consider. Whether through personal experience or through someone you know, being connected with this community is likely. Here's how you can be an ally:

🤝 Practice Equity and Respect: Treat individuals with disabilities as you would anyone else. Communicate directly, offer help respectfully, and always ask for preferences.

🚫 Avoid Assumptions: The disability community is diverse and often defies stereotypes. Remember, disabilities can be visible or invisible, and everyone deserves kindness.

📚 Educate Yourself: Learn about different disabilities and the history of the community. Use resources like vlogs, articles, and podcasts to broaden your understanding.

👂 Listen Actively: Amplify the voices of people with disabilities by listening without interruption. Avoid speaking for them and respect their experiences.

📖 Embrace Teachable Moments: Encourage curiosity, especially in children. Use their questions as opportunities to educate and normalize differences.

🗣️ Communicate Thoughtfully: Use respectful language and ask about preferred terminology. Avoid labels and treat everyone as equal members of society.

Allyship is about promoting equity for all. Want to learn more about supporting the disability community? Contact The Access Center at 937-341-5202 or info@acils.com.

05/18/2026

Help Increase Our Visibility!
Since 1984, the Access Center has been dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve independence in the community. We offer essential services such as Information & Referral, Peer Support, Independent Living Skills Training, and Advocacy on individual, self, and systemic levels. Our Individual Transitioning services help ease the journey to independence.
Additionally, through our REDI Program, we provide recycled medical equipment, supporting health and accessibility needs. Our Youth Transitions initiative and the Think This is Easy? program raise awareness and understanding of disability challenges.
Despite our long-standing presence, many people are still unaware of the services we offer. As a local non-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals like you to continue our mission. Your donations are crucial for expanding our reach and enhancing our visibility on social media, allowing us to connect and support more people in need.
Join us in making a difference! If you would like to contribute or learn more about our work, please visit http://www.acils.com/make-a-difference/.
Together, we can create a more inclusive community. Thank you for your support! 🤝

We also provide recycled medical equipment through our REDI Program. We work with Youth Transitions and provide Disability Awareness training through our Think This is Easy? program. As a local non-profit based in the community, donations from individuals are a vital part of our continued services.....

05/18/2026

🌟 Stay Informed with Enabling Access! 🌟

Stay current with the latest updates from the Access Center for Independent Living! Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Enabling Access, and be among the first to hear about our events, advocacy opportunities, and more in Dayton and its surrounding areas.
Join us in empowering residents of Dayton and nearby communities to flourish in their chosen environments! Sign up now to receive future newsletters directly in your inbox.

🔗 Subscribe at http://www.acils.com/news

Enabling Access (March ’26)-Community Corner-GoBus Expands Services Making Ohio More Easily Accessible to Bus Riders GoBus Expands Services Making Ohio More Easily Accessible to Bus Riders Inter-city bus operator, GoBus, has expanded its service to connect Dayton, Springfield, Middletown and Read ...

05/15/2026

📣 Disability Is Not Always Visible

What meets the eye isn't always the complete picture. Many individuals living with disabilities face challenges that remain hidden—such as chronic pain, inaccessibility, mental health issues, and more.
This serves as a gentle reminder: choose compassion over assumptions.

Image Description-The image contrasts what is visible about a person with an amputation, such as their daily activities and relationships, with the invisible challenges they face, like phantom pain, mental health conditions, and chronic pain. It highlights that outward appearances do not fully represent the internal struggles of individuals with amputations.

Share to help raise awareness. 💙

05/15/2026

Close your eyes and picture a person with a disability. What do you see?

Most people imagine a wheelchair. Some people may picture a white cane. A few people may see hearing aids.

Those are the images we've been taught to associate with disability.
The disability community is so much bigger than that.
Some people with disabilities use wheelchairs every single day, while others only get them out for long distances. Many people with disabilities use a wheelchair, or any mobility aid, at all.
Some people were born with their conditions, while others became disabled suddenly.

Some people look exactly the way people expect a person with a disability to look, while others are under constant judgment because they do not.

All disabilities are valid.

Society keeps trying to define who is disabled enough to deserve accommodations.

That gatekeeping doesn't protect people with disabilities. It just isolates people who are already struggling.

When we treat disability like a checklist instead of a spectrum, we leave millions of people without the support they deserve.
Disability is not a competition. There isn't a hierarchy. It's a vast, diverse, and deeply human experience.

The Access Center is here to help empower people with any and all types of disabilities to live their lives to the fullest. Do you have an independent living goal or advocacy we can partner with you on? Reach out to us today at 937-341-5202 or info@acils.com.

Image Description: The text "All disabilities are valid" in dark purple script font, centered against a pale purple and white gradient background. The text is surrounded by a decorative floral border composed of watercolor-style purple and lavender flowers, including roses, anemones, and trailing foliage in shades of green.