For More Information:
Wendy Lyons, Peer Advocate Counselor
wendy@vcil.org, 802-442-1876
VCIL to Host Community Conversation on Long COVID
Bennington, VT- On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, the Vermont Center for Independent Living will host a community conversation on Long COVID. The event will occur at Bennington's Willow Park in the upper pavilion from 11:00 am-1:30 pm.
The conversation will include presentations about the impacts of COVID-19—including post-COVID conditions—services and supports that VCIL provides, rights people with disabilities have, and a dialogue about what people in the community are experiencing and need as we move forward together.
Presenters will include a patient representative from the National Institute of RECOVER Initiative and VCIL staff.
Sarah Launderville, Executive Director of VCIL, "The creation of Centers for Independent Living around the nation—and many of our federal disability civil rights laws—happened after the polio epidemic of the 1940s and 1950s. Like polio, COVID continues to be a mass disabling event, and those impacted are asking for information and support and to be heard. We hear repeatedly from people that their community pushes them aside, and healthcare providers and their experiences are dismissed, questioned, and laughed at. Coming together to listen and provide peer-to-peer support is needed, and we're excited for this conversation in Bennington".