We are the CIL

The three pillars of our work

Pillar 1 – Peer Counselling

As CIL Mainz we support people with disabilities and chronic illnesses as well as their relatives in various ways. For example, we offer comprehensive peer counseling, i.e. counseling by persons with disabilities for persons with disabilities. The counseling is based exclusively on the interests of those seeking advice. We as "peers" know the reality of life as an affected person or as relatives of those affected. In addition to the technical content, we include our own experiences with disability and discrimination in our counseling. This creates a trusting atmosphere at eye level.

We offer peer counseling as part of the supplementary independent participation counselling (EUTB) in the city of Mainz and in the district of Mainz-Bingen. The project of the Coordination and Counseling Centre for Women and Girls with Disabilities in Rhineland-Palatinate (KOBRA) is another peer service. Here, employees with a disability or chronic illness counsel the target group of women and girls with disabilities.

Our advice is confidential and free of charge for those seeking advice.

In addition to the peer counseling, we also offer support for persons with disabilities on the topic of work. In our transition from school to employment project, for example, we accompany pupils with special needs from school to the general labor market. In the Inclusion Counseling project, we offer free coaching and counseling for unemployed persons with disabilities, especially for persons with mental illnesses.
 

Pillar 2 – Advocacy

Within the framework of political advocacy, the CIL Mainz is committed to the participation of persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses. We participate in committees and working groups, prepare statements on legislative proposals and take steps to create awareness and outreach, such as self-awareness workshops or campaigns via social media. We are active in the city of Mainz and the district of Mainz-Bingen, but we are also networked and active on the state level of Rhineland-Palatinate and on the federal level. As self-advocacy, we aspire to stand up for ourselves and our interests – across all disabilities. True to the motto "Nothing about us without us".
 

Pillar 3 – Services

In addition to counseling and political advocacy, the organization and its inclusive team offer a number of services to improve the participation of persons with disabilities.

With Supported Living, we counsel and support persons who want to live independently in their own home. Through our Office for Simple and Easy Language EULE, we offer translation services and training on the subject.

Using the menu item "Services" you can find out more about the individual projects and areas of the CIL Mainz.
 

This is important to us

The full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the driving force behind our actions. We are therefore resolutely committed to the social participation of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses and are committed to ensuring that disabled people can realize their self-determination in all areas of life. In doing so, we work across disabilities, i.e. not just for a certain group of people with disabilities.

Inclusion, i.e. the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of life from the very beginning, is our vision and our goal.

That is why we advocate for:

• Equality
• Self-determination
• Participation
• Comprehensive accessibility
• and social diversity