RCIL Youth Own!

Youth Own is RCIL's youth leadership group for teens and young adults with disabilities.  It functions primarily as a social and support group, but branches out also into the community with advocacy efforts, and youth employment initiatives such as the RochesterWorks! Summer of Opportunity for Youth.  

Independent living is a proud history of services and supports FOR people with disabilities, BY people with disabilities. YO! -- Youth Own -- was founded in much the same way: teens and young adults with disabilities, getting together to provide support and friendship to each other.

RCIL is the acronym for the Regional Center for Independent Living, located at 497 State Street, Rochester, NY 14608.  Originally organized in 1966 as the Organization for Accessible Buildings, RCIL eventually received one of the first independent living grants in New York State, and opened its current program in October of 1979.