| Independent Living Centers, as non-profit social service | | | | What Exactly Do They Do? |
| organizations, offer a wide variety of services and | | | | ILCs assist individuals with disabilities in many different |
| support in accomplishing their primary function of | | | | ways. They serve those with disabilities by providing |
| helping the disabled to transition into living as | | | | individual and systems advocacy services, peer |
| independently as possible. Fundamental to the | | | | counseling, housing and employment tips, referrals to |
| Independent Living philosophy is the fact that disabled | | | | personal care assistants, and information and training |
| people are seen foremost as citizens with human | | | | on how to live independently. Individuals within the |
| dignity and rights and only secondarily are they seen | | | | community that need assistance with disability |
| as consumers of social services. Persons with | | | | challenges are invited to contact their local ILC either in |
| disabilities deserve opportunities to make decisions on | | | | person, by phone, or online. One does not need to be |
| their own behalf just as non-disabled people. do. Their | | | | employed or looking for employment to benefit from |
| mission statements frequently include such things as | | | | their services. |
| assuring equal access, full participation, self-help, | | | | On What Specific Skills Do They Give Training? |
| self-determination, in short, independent living and | | | | An ILC's training program may include interpersonal |
| economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities in | | | | skills like adaptive behavior and verbal and non-verbal |
| their community. | | | | communication. They almost all also include career |
| What Services Do They Offer? | | | | exploration, job skills, money management, and how to |
| Services offered by Independent Living Centers are | | | | deal with housing, transportation, and legal issues. |
| usually of limited duration and are always focused on | | | | How Are They Funded? |
| achieving the goal of independence for those they | | | | Most ILCs receive a large share of their funding |
| assist. One wonderful facet of Independent Living | | | | through federal and state grants. They also are often |
| Centers is that they are "consumer-controlled". This | | | | able to provide disability related services to the |
| refers to the fact that center usually give authority and | | | | community at large for appropriate fees, such as giving |
| responsibility to individuals within the community who | | | | informative ADA workshops and/or performing |
| themselves have disabilities. Many of the staff are | | | | Accessibility Surveys for local businesses. |
| courageous people who overcome their various | | | | Finding an ILC Near You |
| challenges every day to serve their peers. This serves | | | | Most metropolitan areas are likely to have an ILC, |
| the staff member by building self-confidence and | | | | some rural areas also have one. To find one near you, |
| self-worth, AND it offers their disabled peers a flesh | | | | try ILRU.org Directory or call your state's vocational |
| and blood example of someone who faced their | | | | rehabilitation department. |
| challenges and is succeeding | | | | |