The Center for Independent Living
The Center for Independent Living was founded by Ed Roberts in 1972 to serve the disabled community. CIL provides services, support, and advocacy to people who have disabilities, primarily physical disabilities, with the belief that people with disabilities are the best experts on their own lives. They specialize in a peer-based model, having people with a specific disability counsel people with the same or similar disability. CIL offers resources for employment training, independent living skills, assistive technology, travel training, and youth outreach.
BIE arrived at the CIL and met with Brandon Young, program manager and leader of the youth outreach program at CIL. He gave a short introduction on the history of the CIL before beginning a discussion on the some of the issues the disabled community faced. He also introduced us to Tyler Heckendorn, an assistive technology coordinator who used a modified wheelchair. Mr. Heckendorn contributed to the conversation as well as demonstrating some of the attachments to his wheelchair. Mr. Young then took us on a tour of the Ed Roberts Campus.
Everything in the facility was designed to accommodate disabled individuals, from the numerous skylights that eliminated the need for fluorescent lighting (some individuals are extremely sensitive to fluorescent lighting) to the different textures of the floor (serves as a building guide for the visually disabled). There was a bright red spiral ramp at the center of the building that had the width of two wheelchairs instead of the conventional width of one wheelchair, enabling the ramp to be used simultaneously by someone going up and someone going down or allowing two people to move up the ramp together side-by-side. There were auditory landmarks placed close to points of interest, such as water fountains by restrooms, to provide further assistance to those in need. Even the building’s physical location — right on top of the Ashby BART station — served a purpose, allowing easy access to the facility via public transportation.
The CIL visit gave us a unique insight into the lives of disabled individuals and the everyday challenges that they face. Although the CIL does some amazing work, there is a lot more to be done before the disabled population is able to become fully autonomous. Through our program, we hope to be able to contribute to that goal and look forward to the day when this dream is fully realized.
