Center for Independent Living Berkeley: History and Services

Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 5 Feb 2009 - Updated: 25 Sep 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This information profiles the Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley, California, the first organization of its kind in the world and a product of the independent living movement of the 1960s. CIL grew out of the Physically Disabled Students Program at the University of California, Berkeley, where disabled students including Ed Roberts, Hale Zukas, and Jan McEwan Brown decided that acting on their own behalf was the only way to take full part in campus life. Today the organization is run largely by and for people with disabilities, and it offers free services in several languages covering housing, employment, benefits counseling, individual and systems advocacy, assistive technology, independent living skills training, peer support, and personal assistance. For people with disabilities, seniors, families, and service providers, it is a clear overview of the practical supports a center for independent living provides and a useful look at where the modern disability rights movement took root.

At a Glance

1 - Most of the staff and board members at CIL have disabilities themselves.
2 - Youth Services support disabled young people ages 14 to 22, along with their parents and families.
3 - Blind Services include reader referrals and the rental and sale of canes, Braille paper, and Books On Tape.
4 - Beyond its local work in the East Bay, CIL provides information and referrals on disability resources and products to tens of thousands of people worldwide.

Topic Definition

Center for Independent Living: A Center for Independent Living, often called a CIL, is a community-based nonprofit organization that is run mainly by people with disabilities and helps other disabled people live on their own terms in the community rather than in institutions. The first one was founded in Berkeley, California, by disabled former students of the University of California who had pushed for campus access in the 1960s. CILs usually provide four core services - information and referral, independent living skills training, peer support, and individual and systems advocacy - and many also help with housing, jobs, benefits, assistive technology, and personal assistance. The model rests on the belief that people with disabilities are the best experts on their own needs and should have control over the decisions that shape their lives.

Overview

The Center for Independent Living (CIL), the world's first organization of its kind, is a national leader in supporting disabled people in their efforts to lead independent lives. As an organization founded by people with disabilities, they understand the challenges faced by their consumers. This motivates them to achieve immediate and long-term solutions - be it assistance with finding housing or a job, equipping a home with assistive technologies, or enhancing independent living skills.

Founded in Berkeley, California, the Center for Independent Living (CIL) emerged from the independent living movement of the 1960's as a powerful force in helping people with disabilities achieve their independence.

CIL first began as the Physically Disabled Students Program (PDSP). PDSP was formed by a group of disabled students at the University of California, Berkeley who joined forces to make the full academic and social life of the campus more accessible to themselves and others. Among these students were CIL co-founders Ed Roberts, Hale Zukas and Jan McEwan Brown. They realized that deliberate action on their own behalf was the only way for them to enjoy all of the benefits of campus life.

CIL's staff and board, most of whom have disabilities, are strongly committed to serving the community and to achieving CIL's mission. Each year, our multicultural staff provides services in various languages to thousands of people of diverse ethnicity and disabilities in the East Bay. CIL also provides information about and referrals to disability resources and products for tens of thousands of people worldwide.

CIL's consumer services give people with disabilities the tools and resources they need to achieve independence. All of these services are free and feature advocacy, counseling, education and referrals. Additionally, these services are offered in multiple languages.

Systems Change Advocacy strives to change policies to make government, transportation, and housing systems more accessible to people with disabilities.
Deaf & Deaf/Blind Services include counseling, referrals to sign language interpreters, translation of written communication and independent living skills training.
Employment Services counsels job seekers in how to set goals, enhance skills, and develop resume writing and interviewing techniques. We also work with local businesses to obtain job referrals.
Financial Benefits Counseling guides consumers through benefit services, such as public cash assistance, health insurance and work incentive programs.
Individual Advocacy is a tool used to navigate the intricacies of systems such as Social Security in order to meet our consumers' individual needs.
Youth Services provide counseling, workshops and support groups to disabled youth (ages 14 to 22), their parents and their families. We also offer disability-sensitivity training in the schools and technical assistance to teachers in accommodating youth with disabilities.
Blind Services provide one-to-one counseling, group support, independent living skills training, reader referrals, and the rental and sale of canes, Braille paper, and Books On Tape.
Client Assistance Project (CAP) educates consumers on the rights and benefits that are available to them through the Department of Rehabilitation.
Assistive Technology Services help consumers obtain, repair and understand how to use assistive devices such as ramps, wheelchairs, TTY's, and computers.
Housing Services assist consumers in finding and keeping affordable and accessible housing.

Independent Living Skills (ILS) Training provides individualized instruction in life skills and setting and achieving goals such as using public transportation, money management, social skills, attendant management, nutrition, self advocacy, etc.

Information and Referral provides information about disability issues and referral to other agencies with services to the disabled community. This is available to the public and to CIL consumers.
Peer Support Services support people as they deal with the emotional aspects of their disabilities through group and individual counseling.
Personal Assistance Services (PAS) match home attendants with individual consumers to assist with housekeeping and personal care.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley founded?

The Center for Independent Living in Berkeley was formally incorporated in 1972, building on the work of the Physically Disabled Students Program at the University of California, Berkeley.

Who was Ed Roberts?

Ed Roberts was a disability rights leader who became one of the first students with a significant disability to attend UC Berkeley. He helped found the Center for Independent Living and later served as director of the California Department of Rehabilitation. He is widely known as the father of the independent living movement.

How many centers for independent living are there in the United States?

There are several hundred centers for independent living across the United States, with at least one serving nearly every state and territory. Many also run satellite offices in rural areas.

How are centers for independent living funded?

Most centers receive federal funding under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act, along with state funding, grants, and private donations. This support allows them to offer most core services at no cost.

Who can use a center for independent living?

Services are generally open to people of any age with any type of disability, including physical, sensory, intellectual, developmental, and mental health disabilities. Family members and caregivers can often receive information and referrals as well.

How do I find a center for independent living near me?

The Administration for Community Living and the National Council on Independent Living both offer online directories that list centers by state and county.

What is the independent living philosophy?

The independent living philosophy holds that people with disabilities should have the same choices and control over their daily lives as anyone else. It treats disability as a matter of civil rights and removing barriers, rather than a medical problem to be fixed.

Can a center for independent living help someone move out of a nursing home?

Yes. Many centers offer transition services that help people leave nursing homes or other institutions by finding accessible housing, arranging personal care, and connecting them with community supports.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The Berkeley Center for Independent Living, formally established in 1972, set the pattern for a nationwide network of centers that are required to be run mainly by people with disabilities themselves. That principle - nothing about us without us - is what made CIL different from the charities and rehabilitation agencies of its time, which usually decided what disabled people needed without asking them. Co-founder Ed Roberts, who used a wheelchair and an iron lung after polio, fought his way into UC Berkeley and later became the director of California's Department of Rehabilitation, proving the point he and his classmates had been making all along. The center's range of services, from Deaf and Deaf-Blind counseling to attendant management training and help navigating Social Security, reflects a simple idea: independence doesn't mean doing everything alone, it means having the tools, support, and choices to run your own life. For anyone looking for local help today, the hundreds of independent living centers across the United States trace their roots directly back to this one Berkeley office.

Ian C. Langtree Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability, a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.