Meet Dylan Boot, Independent Living Specialist at the Access Center Independent Living (ACIL).
Born with Mixed Cerebral Palsy, Dylan has been an advocate for as long as he can remember.
“Cerebral Palsy has mainly affected my ability to walk, balance, fine and gross motor control, and my speech. From a very early age, I felt a calling to help other people with disabilities who may not have a voice,” he said.
Dylan has worked in the field of Independent Living for many years while advocating to give a voice to the voiceless.
“CIL work has always been in my blood. Prior to working for ACIL, I worked at three different CILs in three different states. I always love getting to meet new consumers and helping them discover who they truly are and then working with them to help them attain that,” he said.
Dylan believes his main duty as an Independent Living Specialist is to assist others with disabilities in becoming as independent as possible.
“This means different things to different people. I could help someone make a balanced budget. Another consumer might need help with developing job skills or with applying for housing assistance. Still yet another might need help learning how to better help with chores around their residence,” he said.
As a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Dylan has always held education in high regard. He pursued a doctorate in Psychology years ago but ultimately chose not to finish his dissertation upon realizing that, if he did so, his life would be more about research than about educating and helping others. He chose to return to the field of Independent Living to fulfill his calling as an advocate.
“There are a number of issues that are important to me. When I have the opportunity, I advocate for all children to be a part of their IEP, as the law requires. I advocate for higher pay and better benefits for personal care attendants. I advocate for pain specialists to have more flexibility when prescribing pain medicine with medical marijuana. Recently, I started to advance and train police officers to treat people with disabilities better,” said Dylan.
Dylan tries not to become discouraged despite the challenges that his advocacy work presents him.
“Advocacy can be frustratingly slow at times and it can feel lonely, but you just have to keep your goal and purpose in mind.”
A lover of traveling, Dylan has advocated for others with disabilities in places as far away as Thailand.
“I led a mission trip to Thailand while working for my church in 2009. Others and I volunteered at an orphanage for children with disabilities. It was a humbling, eye-opening experience. I loved the hope that seeing me led seemed to give to the children with disabilities,” he said.
In addition to living in 5 different states, Dylan has also traveled to Argentina and Brazil.
“In my 20s, I played boccia and was a member of the US Paralympic team from 2005 to 2008. I ranked third in the nation at one time and would have gone to the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing if not for an injury.”
Dylan has been working with some Engineering students from his Undergraduate alma mater the University of Illinois to create a glove that would allow him to play boccia despite the injury he sustained.
“I know my paralympic days are behind me, but I would love to get back into playing boccia even just for fun and am hopeful that the glove will help that happen,” he said.
While it doesn’t give him the same thrill as boccia, Dylan enjoys bowling in his spare time. His other hobbies include playing computer games and reading books in the science fiction and fantasy genres.
“I have read a lot of books. I realize how biased I am as her partner and one of her editors, but I love telling people that my wife is my favorite author,” he said.
Spending time with his wife and dog is a definite priority for Dylan.
“My service dog, Murdock, is 12 and a half years old, but is still a puppy at heart. Although he works and plays in shorter spurts now, he still loves to do both and his presence brings my wife and I so much joy,” he said
Few people know that although Dylan can no longer swim due to a back surgery he had as a teen, he loves water and enjoys spending time near it.
“My mother put me in swim lessons at 6 months old, so for as long as I can remember I’ve loved water. My first name, “Dylan”, is Welsh and means: ‘Of the sea’. Considering my love of water and the fact that I was born one mile from the Atlantic Ocean, it’s very appropriate,” he said.
Want to reach out to Dylan? Contact him at 937-341-5202 Ext 109 or [email protected]
