Founded in Berkeley, California, the Center for Independent Living (CIL) emerged from the independent living movement of the 1960’s as a powerful force in helping people with disabilities achieve their independence.
CIL first began as the Physically Disabled Students Program (PDSP). PDSP was formed by a group of disabled students at the University of California, Berkeley who joined forces to make the full academic and social life of the campus more accessible to themselves and others. Among these students were CIL co-founders Ed Roberts, Hale Zukas and Jan McEwan Brown. They realized that deliberate action on their own behalf was the only way for them to enjoy all of the benefits of campus life.
In 1972, these students, along with people in the community who believed in the ideals of the independent living movement, formally incorporated as the Center for Independent Living. Their philosophies and goals established that:
- Comprehensive programs with a wide variety of services most effectively meet the needs of people with disabilities.
- People with disabilities know best how to meet the needs of others with disabilities.
- The strongest and most vibrant communities are those that include and embrace all people.
CIL became a support network, giving people the knowledge and the tools to assert their civil rights. Advocacy was central to this work.
CIL`s first success in bringing about social change on behalf of people with disabilities was for curb cuts on Berkeley streets. After disability advocates asserted their rights to ramp the curbs, they began officially working in collaboration with the City of Berkeley to establish the Curb Cut Program.
This success was just the first in a long series of public access issues for which CIL has fought and won. For instance, CIL and other members of the disability community across the country demonstrated in support of the regulations implementing the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, hosted the first National Conference on Independent Living in 1975, and organized the West Coast testimony to help pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To this day, CIL continues to advocate for needed change, making a profound impact on the community and transforming lives.
Because it is the first organization of its kind, CIL is the model for hundreds of independent living centers throughout the U.S. and the world. And it is because of CIL, and organizations like it, that people with disabilities have a resource where they can learn the skills to make their own choices and fight for and achieve their civil rights.