Our Purpose

• To teach ourselves about the past, present, and future prospects of the Independent living movement as part of the disability and equal rights movement;
• To share ideas towards the building of a common vision for Independent Living in Pennsylvania; and;
• To strengthen our sense of community and common purpose as part of the local, state, national, and international independent living movement.

Independent Living Movement Philosophy

1. Independent Living means total integration into the
    community: It does not mean group or segregated living of
    any type.

2. The Independent Living is a backlash against "well-intented
    professionals" who design systems and provide services in a
    manner that fosters the dependence of people with
    disabilities and that operate on the premise that people
    with disabilities cannot be educated to make good decisions
    on their own behalf.

3. People with disabilities learn to "use the system" by
    playing into these roles of dependency and lack of self-
    responsibility because it is safer, avoids rejection, and
    lead to financial and tangible benefits. However, it is a
    "short term gain and long term loss" strategy as an
    approach to life. Persons with disabilities who themselves
    have been through "the system" know the "games that people
    play". They are better able to establish an honest,
    supportive and self-help relationship: We call it "peer
    support".

4. People with disabilities should be expected to participate
    in all the same rights and responsibilities as people
    without disabilities. This includes being impacted upon by
    social and economic pressure to acquire a skill, manage a
    household, and hold a job.

5. The most limiting part of any disability is rarely the
    disability itself: It is restrictive attitudes,
    inaccessible architecture, and the lack of adaptive
    technology. All of these can be altered. However, much
    damage is done to the individual and their concept of
    "self" having to survive, adapt, and grow under these
    limitations.

6. Independent Living Centers (CIL) are organizations owned
    and operated by persons with disabilities. Their mission
    is to advance the ability for self-help and empowerment
    through peer support and information sharing, to remove the
    societal limitations which prevent total integration, and
    to re-orient service systems to foster self-actualization
    and personal growth rather than dependency. They are
    charged with doing "whatever it takes" to accomplish this
    mission within their community.