Background - Center for Independent Living Services
and Their Effect on Community Participation:
Measuring CIL Services

Overview
The federal government funds centers for independent living to provide the four core services of peer counseling, information and referral, independent living skills training, and advocacy. More recently, centers, which have flexibility in how they deliver services and their service emphasis, have been addressing deinstitutionalization as a fifth core service. To date, there is little or no empirical evidence that shows how center services affect the community participation of their consumers. For a more detailed literature review, click here

Study One Purpose

Anticipated Benefits
By developing and testing community participation measurement, this project provides centers for independent a scientific way to measure the effectiveness of their service provision systems. With this new knowledge, they may change their services, provide staff training, and tailor programs to meet needs of consumer subgroups.

Hypotheses

1) Dimensions of independent living service delivery can be reliably measured.

2) Alternative independent living service delivery dimensions result in reliable differences in participation outcomes reported by center for independent living consumers.

Study Design
Applications will be solicited from centers for independent living that believe they have stand-out practices that help increase and enhance the community participation of their consumers. Selected applicants will discuss their services at either the annual convention of the National Council on Independent Living or the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living. The effect of these center services will be gauged using a measuring device designed with the input of center staff and consumers. That measure will be refined to identify centers that best represent the independence service delivery model and the interdependence or social capital service delivery model. For a more detailed description, click here.

“CILs that do address consumers’ social capital needs provide an important mediating variable in the IL process.” Glen White, Ph.D.

"We want to compare that [core services] and see if there are other services out there that offer not only the core services but also are offering services compatible with what I call “social capital.” That is really helping people not only being an occupant in the community but truly being a participant in the community."
Read more from Glen White, Ph.D., interview.
Listen to White excerpt.

“We want to try to start this process by explaining what we mean by ‘participation.’ It is clear early on that the quality of the type of applications we get will depend on the degree people understand what we mean.” Craig Ravesloot, Ph.D.

[Describing an exemplary center for independent living] "They are going way beyond that and say: 'We need a coalition of people on housing in this town.'" Craig Ravesloot, Ph.D.
Read Craig Ravesloot, Ph.D., 2007 interview.
Listen to Ravesloot excerpt.

Products
(2007, May). NCIL seeks input from CIL staff on best practices for community participation. Published on National Council on Independent Living website.

White, G. (2007, July 9-12). Enhancing community participation of CIL consumers: Best practices from the field. Washington, DC: 25 years: Celebrating accomplishments and forging news leaders. [With the emerging core CIL service to deinstitutionalize people with disabilities and facilitate their movement into communities, we must consider how to move a consumer transitioned into the community beyond the status of “occupant” to one of full “participant.” This session consisted of four CIL staff members who sent in winning proposals to a joint RTC/MICL and NCIL competition on best practices for helping to increase the community participation of their consumers. Each center presented their approach to increasing consumer involvement in the community and illustrated their presentation with numerous examples and “how to” tips. Target audience: Advocates / Project directors.]

More
Social capital
Based on relationships and how those relationships achieve a common good, social capital is a resource that people with disabilities can use and offer.

Centers for independent living
Found in every major city in the United States, centers for independent living (also known as independent living centers) advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and provide them with support services and programs they need to achieve self-sufficient and productive lives.

Independence vs. interdependence
The ability to live independently, that is, not in an institution and by one self, became a goal of disability advocates in the 1960s. However, interdependence — a reciprocal relation between individuals — may be a more accurate term. As the poet John Donne, said, "No man or woman is an island entire of itself." Interacting with those in the community rather than trying to do everything by one’s self also provides the opportunity to develop beneficial relationships.

For more information on centers for independent living, visit
ILRU Directory of Centers and SILCs
Independent Living USA

For more information, contact Glen White, glen@ku.edu; Craig Ravesloot, cravesloot@comcast.net; or the Research and Training Center on Measurement and Interdependence in Community Living at the RTC/IL, 4089 Dole, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785.864.4095 (voice), 785.864.0706 TTY, RTCIL@ku.edu
National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Research grant H133B060018