The information found on this page has been borrowed from Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC).

Mission Statement

To promote and enable the progressive process of citizens with disabilities to take responsibility for the development and management of personal and community resources.

Mandate

To empower people with disabilities to examine choices, to make their own decisions and take risks as a means of directing and managing personal and community resources.

History

The Independent Living Movement was founded in Berkeley, California in 1972. In 1997 it celebrated it's twenty fifth anniversary. Since it's founding the Berkeley Center for Independent Living has opened the doors for over 200,000 people who were traditionally viewed only as patients. It has assisted them in leaving institutions, helped them set up independent living situations and hold jobs. As a result of that first step, independent living centres around the world have been and continue to be developed.

In Canada, the movement grew out of two central developments; the infrastructure developed by the Canadian Consumer Movement of the 1970s, in particular the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped, now known as the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and the introduction of the independent living philosophy by American disability Theorist Gerben DeJong to the disability community in 1980.

In 1981 three events were central to the development of the independent living movement; the United Nations declaration of the International Year of Disabled Persons; the release of the Canadian government's Obstacles report; and the personal commitment of Dr. Henry Enns to the Independent Living philosophy. Each of these autonomous events provided legitimacy to disability issues at the national level and equally important, ensured the promotion of the Independent Living philosophy to a broad cross section of government officials, organizations, academics and concerned

By 1985, through the assistance of a number of organizations such as the Mennonite Central Committee, five Independent Living Resource Centres were operating or in the developmental stages in cities across Canada. These cities were Waterloo, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Calgary and Toronto. In May of 1986, at the first Independent Living Conference in Ottawa, The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres known as CAILC was formed to act as a national coordinating body for the IL Movement. In addition, it was at this conference that the definition of a Canadian ILRC was developed. The definition; that an Independent Living Resource Centre (ILRC) is a non-profit, community-based information and resource centre which offers a wide variety of programs and serves to help people to achieve as much as possible the goal of independent living. This is the definition adopted by the Richmond ILRC.

Up to this point the Federal Government had taken a keen interest in the Independent Living philosophy and it was clear that all the hard work of educating organizations, politicians and concerned individuals led to the official funding partnership between CAILC, then Department of national Health and Welfare and the Secretary of State. This funding partnership was officially announced on November 10, 1988. On this day the Honourable Jake Epp, then Minister of Health and Welfare under the Mulroney Conservative Government confirmed a five-year funding commitment, which allowed for the development of a national administrative framework, as well as the advancement of core programs and principles with individual ILRCs across the country. In September 1991, the Federal Government committed core funding through March 31, 1996. In total the Federal Special Initiative invested close to $14 million towards the Canadian Independent Living Movement.

Through the Special Initiative partnership CAILC and local ILRCs have carried out important work promoting community-based approaches to disability issues. Moreover, the Movement has identified and undertaken considerable community research and workshops on an array of important issues, which directly impact the lives of persons with disabilities. Examples of these include issues surrounding family violence, literacy, drug and alcohol education and employment.

The Independent Living Movement continues to work hard to secure alternative funding sources including but not limited to; municipal and provincial governments; individual and business donations; publication sales; and the Independent Living Foundation. To this end, Ontario and British Columbia have developed provincial networks of Independent Living Resource Centres. They are the Ontario Network of Independent Living Centres and the BC Network of ILRCs. These provincial organizations function as communication and information networks which share information, expertise and resources among ILRCs at the provincial level.

Since Centres exist within, or more accurately become an integral part of the community, it is difficult to estimate the broad spectrum of individuals who are influenced by the Independent Living philosophy. IL has come a long way and the future looks like it has the potential to go much further. Since its inception the Canadian Independent Living Movement has made significant accomplishments.

The Richmond Committee on Disability through the Disability Resource Centre – Richmond set the following mission statement. It is simple and to the point; "to promote and enable the progressive process of citizens with disabilities or chronic health problems to take the responsibility for the development and management of personal and community resources."