Welcome!

We work in partnership with adults who are aging with disabilities to promote their well-being, community participation, self-determination and leadership.

Bloomington Creative Aging Festival

Back for a second year, this festival coincides with Older Americans Month, and our Center is again involved in several events. Visit our Creative Aging Festival 2012 web page for a run-down of all our related activities.

The City of Bloomington Commission on Aging invited the community to celebrate creativity and our aging population. There's a beautiful full-color brochure of events here, and any new entries are being added to the master list here. All events are accessible for people who use wheelchairs. We hope to see you around town this May!

Communities for a Lifetime Initiative Moves Forward

With support from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, three communities to participate in a new planning grant program were announced on March 1. This program – Communities for a Lifetime – will support Huntington, Linton and Valparaiso with small grants to identify a district, conduct assessments, and engage people of all ages and abilities in creating a more livable environment that supports social, mental and physical health, and independence across the lifespan.

The three communities will have approximately 6 months to conduct their planning activities and develop an implementation plan for additional funding from the IHCDA and other potential sources. Eligible projects will include affordable housing, home repair and modification and economic development activities. The Governor’s Planning Council intends to support training for planning advocates among the older adult and disability community.

The Center on Aging and Community has been working to foster this program for several years. Director Phil Stafford and Research Associate Jennie Todd will be providing significant technical assistance to the grantee communities. For more information about the program, write Dr. Stafford at staffor@indiana.edu or visit the program announcement page here.

New and Improved ArtsWORK Indiana Website

ArtsWORKIndiana.org has a new look and new user-friendly design. Along with a face lift, we've made navigation and content changes so that it's easier to find and use information. There also plenty of art by Indiana's visual artists with disabilities to be seen on our pages.

The remodeling of the website was made possible, in part, with support from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, as well as by the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.

Silo-Busting Podcast with CAC Director

The Center on Aging and Community’s Director, Dr. Phil Stafford, took part in a Community Matters discussion on Silo-busting. We all tend to create silos in our life - places that are our own domain and from which we rarely like to venture.

Communities also have silos --   many address youth issues and  elder issues separately, and both are separated from issues like housing, transportation, education, and volunteerism. One way to break down community silos might be to focus on building communities for all ages. The podcast is at the bottom of the discussion page and can be downloaded. There are call notes available as well.