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The Memphis Center for
Independent Living Journal

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of previous MCIL Journals

12/4/99, 1:14 pmc

The Memphis Center for Independent Living Journal is entering its third year. I hope you can get a sense of what a Center for Independent Living does by looking back at our past issues and accomplishments. For a more general explanation, however, the Tennessee State Independent Living Council is developing a clear description. If you would like to know more about Independent Living please contact me at MCIL.

- Tim Wheat

What is a Center for Independent Living?

A Center for Independent Living (CIL) is a private, non-profit corporation that assists people with significant disabilities to live more independently. CILs are governed and staffed by people with disabilities and assist people with all types of disabilities. CILs are not places where people live. They are places where people with disabilities join together to work toward independence.

Why are CILs needed? Why are CILs needed?

CILs are needed because the economic and social status of people with disabilities is not a source of pride for the richest nation in the world. A 1998 Harris poll revealed that:

One out of five (20%) adults with disabilities aged 18 and over has not graduated from high school, compared to only one out of ten (9%) adults without disabilities.
Fully a third (34%) of adults with disabilities lived in a household with an annual income of less than $15,000 compared to only about one in eight (12%) of those without disabilities.
Among adults with disabilities of working age (18 to 24), three out of 10 (29%) work full or part-time, compared to eight out of 10 (79%) of those without disabilities.
Almost two out of three (66%) adults with disabilities say that they need help from another person in work, school, housework or other routine activities.
One out of five (21%) adults with a disability did not get medical care that they needed on at least one occasion during the last year, compared to one in ten (11%) adults without a disability.

The circumstances of people with disabilities often result in unnecessary dependence. More than 300,000 Georgians with disabilities receive disability-related cash assistance. And about 4,000 of our state's 40,000 nursing home beds are occupied by disabled Georgians under the age of 65! Dependence costs everyone! Our state spent almost $716 million on nursing home care in FY '98. And the human cost of this lost potential is incalculable!

How do CILs make a difference?

Given the economics of dependence, its easy to see why preserving and promoting independence is so important. CILs do this by:

Providing information. Some people who require substantial assistance with routine activities of daily living think that a life of unemployment or nursing home placement is an inevitable consequence of having a disability. CILs offer a different view: Persons with significant disabilities can, with help, live a regular life. CIL staff and volunteers are living proof of that!
Overcoming environmental obstacles. Wheelchair users require a ramp to safely get in and out of their home. People who are Blind need alarm clocks that talk. People who are Deaf rely on smoke detectors with blinking lights. CIL staff and volunteers are expert barrier busters because experience is the best teacher!
Challenging people with disabilities. The foundation of CIL services is the peer relationship-people with disabilities assisting other people with disabilities as role models, mentors and advocates. Peers have the personal experience of focusing on what one CAN do, rather than can't do. CILs encourage people to use their skills, talents and abilities to stay in school or to go back to school, to work, to volunteer and to fulfill civic duties such as voting or being a good neighbor!
Challenging communities to include everyone! Finding a job, locating a place to live, going to school or volunteering in the community is possible for people with disabilities IF communities are accessible. Apartment builders need education so that they understand why a ramped entrance is necessary. Public transit workers must be trained to call out the bus stops in order for a worker who is blind to get to the job. For the physician to understand and reliably treat the symptoms of a person who is Deaf, an interpreter is necessary. CILs help community and government leaders as well as businesses to understand what accessibility means and how to achieve it.

Are CILs a good investment?

You bet! CILs are the classic example of for want of a nail. If our nation commits itself to preserving and promoting independence, we can, over the long run, reduce the cost of dependence. And we can benefit from the skills and abilities of an untapped human resource. Last year, the Georgia CILs served 801 people at an average cost of $1,024 per person per year. CILs are a great return on investment!

Why do CILs exist?

Centers for Independent Living are a natural outgrowth of the Disability Rights Movement which began in the 70's, gained momentum in the 80's and finally stood on solid ground in 1990 with the passage of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The overarching goal of the Disability Rights Movement is the integration of people with disabilities into mainstream life. The Disability Rights Movement is responsible for the passage of a number of laws that are intended to fulfill this goal. Among these laws is the Rehabilitation Act, which authorizes funding to CILs under Title VII, Part C. An increase in this budget line item is needed for Georgia to have a CIL in every part of the state.

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The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org

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