• DCRC Announces a New Executive Director, Thomas ‘TJ’ Hill

    LOS ANGELES, CA- The Disability Community Resource Center (formerly WCIL) is excited to announce that TJ Hill has been selected as its new Executive Director. He will join the DCRC team on October 15, 2018. This selection was made by DCRC’s Board of Directors after an extensive nation-wide search.

    “The DCRC Board set out to find a leader with the vision to build upon DCRC’s achievements during the last three years, and the tools to develop DCRC into an even more influential and effective platform for the disabled community of Western Los Angeles County,” said Sally Richman, DCRC Board President. “TJ Hill is that leader. He is a change maker, with deep experience in building and leading teams, creating opportunities and delivering results, and leveraging his creativity and smarts to navigate complex issues and add value to local and national causes and discourse. We are thrilled to have Mr. Hill join and lead DCRC.”

    Mr. Hill comes to DCRC from the Association of Community Human Service Agencies (ACHSA) where he served as the Mental Health Policy Director for almost 10 years representing non-profit provider agencies in the LA County mental health system. Before that, he worked at the Disability Rights Legal Center, where he served as Director of Options Counseling and Lawyer Referral Service, supervising and coordinating the agency’s legal intake process. Prior to the Disability Rights Legal Center, he was a Congressional Legal Intern for Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa in Washington, D.C. where he worked on special education policy, healthcare and labor issues.

    Mr. Hill received his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and his Bachelor of Arts degree, in Psychology, from the University of Arizona. He also has worked as a rehabilitation specialist for adults with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and as a Commissioner on the City of Santa Monica Disabilities Commission.

    DCRC Board of Directors

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    DCRC is a Center for Independent Living with the mission to provide people with disabilities of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds with the tools needed to overcome the barriers that interfere with their independence in the areas of housing, employment and healthcare. DCRC serves over 2,000 each year with resources, support, training and information. For more information visit: www.dcrc.co

  • PRESS RELEASE: DCRC’S CONDEMNDATION OF THE WHITE HOUSE FAMILY SEPARATION POLICY

    June 24, 2018

    LOS ANGELES, CA – In response to the actions of the Trump Administration in its policy of
    separating immigrant families detained at the US/Mexico Border, the Disability Community Resource Center (DCRC) makes the following statement:

    DCRC condemns the actions of the Trump Administration and compels lawmakers, acting in a bipartisan fashion with the Administration, to instruct the U.S. agencies charged with border
    protection and enforcement of our immigration laws to cease and desist the practice of separating children from their parents and primary caregivers at the border, and to reunite these children and their parents or primary caregivers immediately.

    “This practice violates multiple human rights laws and treaties, inflicts irreparable harm on children and their families, and is not remotely necessary for the protection of our borders,” says Anastasia Bacigalupo, CEO of DCRC. “We condemn this practice as strongly as possible. We stand in solidarity with these detainees and the communities that support them.”

    As a disability rights and services organization, DCRC is deeply concerned about the lack of support and services for disabled children, young adults, individuals and older adults caught in this traumatizing situation. “Any of the detainees who did not enter this situation with Anxiety, Depression and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will most certainly be leaving with these and/or any number of mental health disabilities due to the separation and reunification process,” says CEO Bacigalupo. DCRC emphatically insists that lawmakers pass resolutions to release resources to the facilities holding these detainees and make available Spanish and indigenous language-speaking therapists experienced in trauma informed care who can immediately provide support to the children, young adults, individuals and older adults in this situation. Qualified volunteers with these types of expertise should also be provided immediate access to assist the detainees.

    “Regardless of their legal status, let us not forget that these detainees are human beings who have rights and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” says Nancy Urquilla, DCRC Independent Living Specialist.

    While the President recently signed an order purporting to halt the separation, it is being reported that there is no clear procedure in place for reuniting children with their parents or primary caregivers. DCRC strongly demands that lawmakers apply political pressure to release local, state and federal funding and personnel so that the utmost urgency is placed establishing an effective reunification procedure.

    DCRC and members of the disability community are available for comment and reaction. For more information, contact Anastasia Bacigalupo at (310) 390-3611 anastasia@dcrc.co

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    Disability Community Resource Center is a Center for Independent Living with the mission to provide people with disabilities of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds with the tools needed to overcome the barriers that interfere with their independence in the areas of housing, employment and healthcare. DCRC serves over 2,000 each year with resources, support, training and information. For more information visit: www.dcrc.co

  • PRESS RELEASE: Congress Votes to Erode Rights Under the ADA

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    February 15, 2018

    CONTACT: 

    Anastasia Bacigalupo

    (310) 390-3611

    anastasia@dcrc.co

    Congress Votes to Erode Rights Under the ADA

    LOS ANGELES, CA – In response to the vote to the House of Representatives passing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Education and Reform Act (HR 620), DCRC Chief Executive Officer Anastasia Bacigalupo made the following statement:

    “The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a promise to all Americans, regardless if you are born with or acquire a disability, that you will all have the same opportunities to achieve your full potential in American society. You will have the same access to employment, education and commerce. And, equally important, you will have your civil rights protected and enforced.

    “Today, Congress betrayed that promise to all disabled Americans. This cynical legislation disregards our nation’s history of expanding opportunity for all Americans. It rewards businesses who have broken the law and ignored the ADA for 28 years. Shockingly, it shifts the burden for enforcing the ADA onto the very people who are being discriminated against.

    “As this legislation heads to the Senate, disabled Americans must educate their Senators as to how HR 620 erodes the ADA.  We will fight defend the ADA against this attack with activism, advocacy and come election time, our votes.  You will feel the power of the disability vote.”

    DCRC and members of the disability community are available for comment and reaction.  For more information, contact Anastasia Bacigalupo at (310) 390-3611 anastasia@dcrc.co

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    Disability Community Resource Center is a community center with the mission to provide people with disabilities of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds with the tools needed to overcome the barriers that interfere with their independence in the areas of housing, employment and healthcare. DCRC serves over 2,000 each year with resources, support, training and information. For more information visit:  www.dcrc.co