Putting the disabled back to work

Although Alvaro Ramirez is originally from Nicaragua, he does not speak Spanish — or English. He communicates through sign language.

The 40-year-old man has been tackling challenges since he lost his hearing at the age of 2.

His biggest challenge — finding a job.

“I feel like deaf people suffer a lot of discrimination,” Ramirez said. “And it’s been really difficult for me to find a job.”

Ramirez is getting help from a center that assists many Central Floridians in living independently. The Center for Independent Living, founded in 1976, provides everything from home ramps, educational seminars, job placement services, sign language interpreters, mental health counseling and housing resources.

“Our focus is issues that people with disabilities face… and we are the only provider in our area that provides comprehensive services for people who are deaf,” Executive Director Liz Howe said.

The center runs on federal, state and local funds, and its main goal is to provide education and aid-based initiatives that help integrate the disabled into the workplace and society, so they can get back on the road to independence.

“I’ve enjoyed working with them and have been very impressed with them,” Ramirez said.

Unemployment rises

Unemployment continues to plague Americans — the national unemployment rate climbed to 9.1 percent in May, while Florida’s rate was 10.6 percent. The unemployment rate for the disabled has continuously remained even higher, hitting 15.6 percent in May.

“There’s still a stigma out there for employers, in terms of hiring people with disabilities… and having to accommodate the expenses of their disability,” Howe said.

The Center for Independent Living is helping those in need break down the stereotypes associated with disabilities.

“Diversity is not only race, color, sex or religion, diversity is also disability,” CIL developmental director Karen Bacharach said. “And disability is the number one minority in our country.”

Ramirez said he believes there’s still a very separate world between the hearing and the hearing-impaired, and equality is still a concept that needs a lot of attention.

“There’s a real lack of power between deaf people and hearing people sometimes,” Ramirez said. “It’s still an unequal world… and CIL’s whole goal is equality and helping people believe in themselves.”

Celebrating a milestone

Equality continues to be the Center for Independent Living’s goal, especially after the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The center, as well as so many other Central Floridians living with disabilities, celebrated that milestone on July 26.

Bacharach said that CIL’s biggest challenge is awareness, and celebrating this event, as well as holding other events in the community, will help make people aware of CIL’s mission to give everyone the equal opportunity they deserve.

“The more people that know what we do, the more support we’ll get from the general community… because we want to make sure that those living with disabilities have every advantage and opportunity to live their lives as fully as they choose,” Bacharach said. “If they want to do something, there’s an opportunity to do it; we’re all about making it possible.”

Learn more

The Center for Independent Living celebrated the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26. For more information on this event and the center, visit www.cilorlando.org or call

407-623-1070.