About Centers for Independent Living
Centers for Independent Living
There are 16 CILs in Pennsylvania and the PA SILC works to promote and strengthen these Centers.
From NCIL.org:
“Centers for Independent Living are community-based, cross-disability, non-profit organizations that are designed and operated by people with disabilities. CILs are unique in that they operate according to a strict philosophy of consumer control, wherein people with all types of disabilities directly govern and staff the organization.
Centers for Independent Living were created to be run by and for people with disabilities, and offer support, advocacy, and information on empowerment in the attainment of independence from a peer viewpoint, a perspective that was hitherto excluded from participation in the discussion and execution of ‘services for the disabled.'”
Services Provided by PA CILs
A CIL provides, at a minimum, the following core services:
- Information & Referral
- Independent Living Skills Training
- Individual and Systems Advocacy
- Peer Counseling
In addition, federally-funded CIL’s provide either one or both of these services:
- Transition assistance from nursing homes and other institutions to community-based residences / Assisting individuals to avoid institutional placement
- Transition of youth with significant disabilities after completion of secondary education to postsecondary life.