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A History of the Independent Living Movement
by Doris Brennan
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A veteran with a disability greets
a fellow vet. |
I. What Is Independent Living?
Independent Living means having control of your life. It means having the ability to participate in the life of your community and family. Independent Living means having choices about lifestyle, where you live, and opportunities for education, employment, transportation, socialization, recreation, and all other aspects of life that other citizens enjoy.
The key words that define Independent Living are choices and opportunities. Most people who are not disabled can take choices and opportunities for granted. A person who is disabled cannot. For people with disabilities to participate fully in the life of their communities and to feel as though they are truly a part of that life, there need to be changes in attitudes, increased community support services, and improved access.
II. The Background and History of Independent Living Centers
In an effort to address the need to include people with disabilities in all aspects of society, the federal government passed a law in 1978, amending the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to establish Centers for Independent Living to assist people with disabilities to become more independent. The purpose of these centers was to provide services and to advocate for change that would enable people with disabilities to participate more fully in all aspects of community life. The unique thing about these centers is that they were controlled and directed by people with disabilities.
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A group of advocates protests inaccessible buses.
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The first Center for Independent Living (CIL) was developed on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, by a group of students with disabilities who wanted to be integrated into campus life as "full-fledged, normal students." Most of these students were very severely disabled and needed a number of supports, including attendant services, accessible living space, counseling about their benefits, and wheelchair repair. They developed a community-based center where these services could be provided to all students with disabilities on campus. The center was so successful at responding to the students' needs that people from the city of Berkeley began to request services. The need was recognized by the State of California, which established Centers for Independent Living throughout the state. As a result of the success in Berkeley, other states began to follow suit, and with the passage of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments, centers were established throughout the country. There are more than 300 Centers for Independent Living in the country, the majority of them funded under the Rehabilitation Act. Ohio has 10 Centers for Independent Living located in Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Dover, Fairfield, Lorain, Toledo, and Mansfield.
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This placard is from a 1979 rally in Washington, D.C.
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III. The Independent Living Philosophy
Centers for Independent Living share a basic philosophy based on the belief that people with disabilities must be involved in the development of services that are provided to meet their needs. CILs believe that the needs of people with disabilities can be met most effectively by comprehensive programs that combine self-help with professional expertise in the provision of services, and that people with disabilities can and should be integrated into their communities.
Centers for Independent Living focus on individuals needs. The focus is on the person with the disability, and on making the most of that person's opportunity for participation in society. Centers have major consumer involvement, meaning that the staffing and board membership reflect a majority of people with disabilities. Centers also focus on advocacy and peer support, working as advocates and role models to develop public awareness of the needs and capabilities of people who are disabled. Services are wide-ranging and support the integration of people with disabilities into the mainstream of society. Unlike many programs aimed at persons with specific disabilities, Centers for Independent Living represent and serve people with various disabilities and their families.
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A woman with a cane confronts
a curb without a curb cut.
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Centers for Independent Living are required to provide certain core services; these include peer support, independent living skills training, information and referral services, and advocacy. They may provide other services which enhance a person's ability to live independently. In Ohio, centers provide housing assistance, referrals for personal assistance services, transportation, benefits counseling, technical assistance for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), community education, guidance on assistive technology, employment services, and transition services for students, to name a few. All of these services are geared toward helping people learn to live independently in their homes and be responsible, active participants in their communities.
IV. What Can an Independent Living Center Do for a Consumer with a Disability?
Independent Living Centers provide an array of services to assist people with disabilities in achieving their maximum level of independence. Consumers can go to a center and discuss their needs and their hopes. Center staff will help them develop a plan to achieve their goals. They also will help consumers find the resources they'll need to carry out their independent living plan.
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A woman enjoys a break from her wheelchair by sitting on a park bench.
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In some cases, center staff will ask people with disabilities to help them. As we all know, many needs of people with disabilities are not currently being met. A few of these are transportation; personal assistance services; accessible, affordable housing; leisure and recreation activities; accessibility in homes or in the community; health care; and employment. For these needs to be met, change in the systems that serve us must take place. Such change can only come about if we all work together to make these needs known and to demand that these needs be met. In effect, consumers, along with Center staff, have to become partners and agents for change in our communities, in our state, and in the nation. As Ed Roberts, often referred to as the "Father of Independent Living" said, "Centers for Independent Living have three functions: Advocacy, Advocacy, and Advocacy!"
V. The State Independent Living Council
The State Independent Living Council (SILC) was established by law with the passage of the Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act in 1992. This council can be the conduit to the Office of the Governor to express the need for change that would benefit people who are disabled. The SILC is an autonomous body composed of representative of organizations representing individuals with disabilities, organizations interested in individuals with disabilities, and consumers with disabilities. The council's purpose is to jointly develop and submit the State Independent Living Plan; to monitor, review, and evaluate the implementation of the that plan; to coordinate activities that address the needs of specific disability populations and issues under the Rehabilitation Act and other federal laws; and to ensure that all regularly scheduled meetings of the council are open to the public with sufficient advance notice.
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Enjoying playing with the dog
in the yard.
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Ohio's State Independent Living Council was appointed by Governor George Voinovich in 1993, and the council held its first meeting in December 1993. The governor appoints 11 members to the council. In addition, seven ex-oficio representatives from state agencies serve on the council. The SILC includes individuals with a diversity of disabilities who represent a broad geographic area, as well as a representative from the State Centers for Independent Living.
Members of the council have a responsibility and opportunity to help increase independent living services and to expand the network of CILs throughout the state. Through all our efforts, Ohioans with disabilities will have options to be productive, integrated, independent citizens who participate in all aspects of society.
VI. Get Involved
LEAP welcomes your involvement and encourages you to take an active role in Independent Living, bringing your skills, talents, and expertise to the effort to improve life for citizens with disabilities.
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