Redefining Independence

For 50 years, the Center for Independent Living has been working to improve the day-to-day lives of individuals with disabilities. Inclusion and accessibility are basic human rights, and to express those rights, systems, equal opportunities, and assistive technology should be provided to these individuals from the start.

If an individual is to gain independence, it cannot be viewed through a single-minded lens. Support means something different to everybody. In neurodivergency, even though certain disabilities are broken into well-researched categories, each person’s experience is still entirely their own. A disability may be shared, but the way it affects someone’s life and path toward independence can look very different overall.

By donating to our cause, you are supporting an organization that believes independence is a unique experience for everyone. It should not be defined by school, workplace, healthcare, or government systems that are based on what society views as normal. These systems cannot be built around idealized standards created by people who do not have to live with these circumstances every day. Independence means giving a person the ability to make decisions for themselves in ways they may never have been able to before. To assume there is a single answer for how that should happen is to fundamentally miss the point of what true independence really is.

For neurodivergent individuals and their families, true independence comes from the support, resources, and freedom that reflect the lives these individuals want to be living. Help us empower self-defined futures by supporting programs like Family Disability Navigator, which ensures that autonomy remains at the center of service delivery. Through the Family Disability Navigator Program, the Center for Independent Living offers support and advocacy for children with disabilities by providing them with the resources they absolutely need. These resources include information and referrals for formal disability diagnoses, IEP and 504 plans, support groups, parental education, case management, and skills training.

Through your donation and support, a truly redefined independence can be made possible. Click the link below or scan the QR code to help us empower independence within the neurodivergent community.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/50-years-of-impact-a-future-without-limits