The Independent Living Resource Centre
The Independent Living Resource Centre opened in February 1984.
The purpose of the ILRC is:
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To establish an Independent Living Resource Centre which will encourage the self-determination, self-help, and participation of all people with disabilities in the community
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To develop several specific Independent Living Programs such as: peer support, self-managed attendant care, information and referral services and individual advocacy
To research community and individual independent living issues and propose alternative service models to fill in gaps in service as they are identified
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To provide workshops i.e: identified problem areas and stimulate public education about independent living
Mission Statement
“The ILRC is a consumer controlled organization that promotes and enables citizens with disabilities to make choices and take responsibility for the development and management of personal and community resources.”
History
In 1972 four persons with disabilities in Berkley, California, found their support services terminated upon graduation from University. Rather than return to their parental homes or move into an institution, they each rented an apartment and hired an attendant. In time, they expanded and added other services such as peer counseling, wheelchair repair, advocacy, and legal services. Since that inauspicious beginning, over two hundred Independent Living Centres have been established in the United States, each serving the unique gaps that exist in that particular community. They have been recognized by the passage of legislation, which ensures that funding is provided.
In Canada, the Obstacles Report (of the Special Committee on the Disabled and the Handicapped, 1981) strongly recommended the establishment of such centres. In December 1982, the first Independent Living Centre (ILC) in Canada was opened in Kitchener, Ontario, providing services of attendant care, housing referral, public education, peer counseling/support, accessibility consultation and training in self-advocacy. The Independent Living Resource Centre (ILRC) opened, in Winnipeg, In February 1984. It was the second Centre of its kind in Canada. A comprehensive understanding of the ILRC must be based upon an understanding of the Independent Living philosophy and the course of events which has given rise to the concept of ILC's.
The movement to integrate persons with disabilities into society is rooted in the technological advances and cultural changes that developed after World War II. Medical advancements, disabled sports organizations, and parent organizations in the 1960's combined to form the basis of the consumer concept. This concept asserts that everyone is entitled to live as independently as possible and that individuals with even the most severe and profound disabilities should be enabled to exercise maximum control over their lives. Independent Living is not living alone per se, but is a mindset with which individuals can control all aspects of their lives.
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