It was sometime in 2008, and I was in the full throws of domestic nesting, having just married the year before. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the domestic responsibilities so Andrew and I agreed that maybe it was time to see about getting some additional help around the house. All we were looking for was just a few hours per month to help with some of those "extra" projects. As most people do, I went to Google to see if there were any local resources.

I came upon a link to the "Silicon Valley Independent Living Center," an organization, according to their website, provided contacts for non-medical attendant help. Basically, people who were willing to volunteer their time for disabled folks who needed an extra hand with things like grocery shopping, errands, or other domestic tasks. While I did not end up hiring anyone from their resource list, just learning of SVILC, and the existence of Independent Living Centers in general, changed my life forever.

Contrary to how it might sound, Independent Living Centers (ILCs) are not group homes or residential living facilities for disabled people. Instead, an independent living center is a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential private nonprofit agency designed and operated within a local community by individuals with disabilities. SVILC is one of 28 ILCs in California and one of 403 nationally.

While every state runs its ILC programs somewhat differently, every centers' core mission is to provide services that maximize the ability to live independently in their chosen environment. The services mandated by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are: Information and Referral, Advocacy, Independent Living Skills, Peer Counseling, and Transition. California added two additional core services: Personal Assistance Services and Housing. ILCs also provide individual assistive technology (AT) services to consumers.

At the bottom of this blog post is a list of the core services CA ILCs provide and some additional resource links.

In learning about SVILC, I became engaged with the disability community in a way I never had prior. During my time at SVILC I met many disabled people, leaders in our civil rights movement and became exposed to a disabled history and culture that I never knew existed. I volunteered for several months with SVILC and eventually was hired part-time as their marketing and communications specialist. Shortly after leaving SVILC, I was invited to serve on the Board for the Center of Independence for Individuals With Disabilities (CID), which serves people in one county north of SVILC. I've been on the CID Board for going on five years now. It is some of the most fun and rewarding work I have ever done in my life.

Part of my mission is to provide governance as a board member and help to get the word out about Independent Living Centers to the larger population. I think many disabled people like myself don't have any idea that they even exist, to say anything of the many services they provide.

There is no doubt that being disabled can be challenging. With all of my positive self-love talk about disability pride, I realize and accept that life can be challenging for us. Social, economic, physical, and institutional barriers prevent disabled people from achieving full and equal access, keeping many of us from achieving our full potentials. That is where resources like ILCs come in. They provide the tools of education, community, and advocacy. Their mission encourages self-empowerment for disabled people, and they don't advocate on behalf of an individual. They empower the individual to advocate for him/herself.

I came to realize a couple of years into my emersion into the Independent Living Community that I've always lived my life in line with the Independent Living mission and values. I just didn't realize it at the time. I lived a parallel life in full step with a movement that had preceded me by decades, and I hope that the movement will build in strength for years to come.

For more information, check out these resources:

• California Department of Rehabilitation

• Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities

• Silicon Valley Independent Living Center

• National Center for Independent Living

Cores service and explanations are listed below:

Information and Referrals (I&R)

Information and referral is the art, science, and practice of bringing people and services together. If individuals or families don't know where to turn or need more information, I&R can help connect them with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need.

Advocacy

ILCs provide services around both individual and systems advocacy. The goal is to empower people of all ages with disabilities to reach their highest level of achievement by teaching them to advocate for individual and systems changes that result in access, choice, equality, inclusion, integration, and independence. Systemic advocacy attempts to change laws and attitudes surrounding disability. Personal advocacy is a type of problem-solving designed to protect individual and legal rights and ensure a dignified existence.

Independent Living Skills

ILCs provide information and instruction which lead to mastery in the following areas: health and safety, community resources, meal planning and nutrition, self-advocacy, sexual awareness, Personal Assistant management, household management, recreation and leisure, and money management. The integration and full participation of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of society is the desired outcome.

Peer Counseling

ILCs provide support and role models for people who want to live more independently. Personal experience with a disability often places ILC staff in a unique position to effectively teach people who experience disabilities while providing a role model for success.

Transition

ILCs offer services that facilitate the transition from nursing homes and other institutions to the community, assist those at risk of entering institutions, and encourage youth transition to postsecondary life.

Personal Assistance Services

Many persons with disabilities require personal assistants (PAS) to live independently. P.A.s assist consumers with a wide variety of duties. Depending on the individual, these activities might include getting up and getting ready for the day, bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, or running errands. Some people also use PAS in the workplace. Examples of PAS in the workplace vary but may involve activities such as: retrieving materials out of reach or providing travel assistance for an employee with a mobility impairment; helping an employee with a cognitive disability in decision-making; reading printed materials to an employee who experiences a visual impairment, or ensuring a sign language interpreter is present during meetings. ILCs can help connect people to qualified PAS and teach them how to manage these essential employees.

Housing

ILCs offer one-on-one assistance to qualified consumers to help them locate affordable and accessible housing, as well as to find residential supports and to access programs and services for which they may be eligible.