| Independent Living Centers, as non-profit social service | | | | challenges and is succeedingWhat Exactly Do They |
| organizations, offer a wide variety of services and | | | | Do?ILCs assist individuals with disabilities in many |
| support in accomplishing their primary function of | | | | different ways. They serve those with disabilities by |
| helping the disabled to transition into living as | | | | providing individual and systems advocacy services, |
| independently as possible. Fundamental to the | | | | peer counseling, housing and employment tips, referrals |
| Independent Living philosophy is the fact that disabled | | | | to personal care assistants, and information and |
| people are seen foremost as citizens with human | | | | training on how to live independently. Individuals within |
| dignity and rights and only secondarily are they seen | | | | the 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.On What Specific Skills Do They Give |
| assuring equal access, full participation, self-help, | | | | Training?An ILC's training program may include |
| self-determination, in short, independent living and | | | | interpersonal skills like adaptive behavior and verbal |
| economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities in | | | | and non-verbal communication. They almost all also |
| their community.What Services Do They | | | | include career exploration, job skills, money |
| Offer?Services offered by Independent Living Centers | | | | management, and how to deal with housing, |
| are usually of limited duration and are always focused | | | | transportation, and legal issues.How Are They |
| on achieving the goal of independence for those they | | | | Funded?Most ILCs receive a large share of their |
| assist. One wonderful facet of Independent Living | | | | funding through federal and state grants. They also are |
| Centers is that they are "consumer-controlled". This | | | | often 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.Finding an |
| courageous people who overcome their various | | | | ILC Near YouMost metropolitan areas are likely to |
| challenges every day to serve their peers. This serves | | | | have an ILC, some rural areas also have one. To find |
| the staff member by building self-confidence and | | | | one near you, try ILRU.org Directory or call your state's |
| self-worth, AND it offers their disabled peers a flesh | | | | vocational rehabilitation department. |
| and blood example of someone who faced their | | | | |