What are IL Centres?

At its most fundamental level, an Independent Living Resource Centre (ILRC) is a place where individuals with a disability can learn to control their own life. They can become aware of their options, make choices, and take risks all with the support of someone else who has been there before them. A Centre is a place where persons with a disability can help each other. Even though not all Member Centres have “ILRC” in their name, it is what they are at their core: A resource centre for IL and persons with disabilities.

IL Centers form the membership of IL Canada, representing all people with disabilities. This membership is exclusive to organizations that are non-profit, consumer controlled and community based, among other criteria. Every member centre of IL Canada is accredited and regularly assessed to ensure they successfully implement the IL Philosophy and Core Pillars of Service modelling. They are your local organizations that serve and represent you directly; providing the amazing, resources, programming and services directly to Canadians with disabilities each and every day.

It is important to note that member centres are not all identical; in fact this is something we celebrate as a network! Each member centre is an autonomous organization offering services and programming sometimes exclusive to their respective region. Centres pursue funding and develop programs and services that best suit the people in their area with input from their own consumers. This is one of many unique attributes of us as an organization. This is not to say that there are no similarities among centres: the biggest being their belief in the Independent Living Philosophy which includes:

Consumer Control
The philosophy of IL promotes the rights of people with disabilities to examine choices, make decisions, take risks, make mistakes, and take responsibility for their own lives. IL Member Centres must maintain a Board of Directors that consists of no less than a 51% representation of persons with a disability forming self-governance.

Cross Disability
IL recognizes that persons with different disabilities have different needs. At the same time, the IL philosophy insists that consumers' right to have choices, make decisions, make mistakes and take responsibility for their own lives applies to all persons with disabilities. IL Member Centres will maintain an approach that is inclusive of all persons with any disability and endeavor to ensure that the combined sum of all programs and services have a cross-disability approach.

Community Based
IL calls for a community-based approach to service development, delivery, evaluation and promotion. This commitment to meeting unmet needs is the principle of non-duplication of services. IL Member Centres must endeavor to develop program and services to meet specific consumer identified gaps in their operating areas. Augmenting an existing service or program available in your area to best meet the needs of an IL Member Centre's consumer is not considered a duplication of service.

Participation and Full Integration
The Independent Living philosophy calls for the integration and full participation of persons with disabilities in their communities. Member Centres must provide programs and services developed within the following 4 Core Pillars of Service:

1. Peer Support
2. Information and Networking
3. Independent Living Skills Development
4. Research and Community Development