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Melvyn R. Tanzman, Executive DirectorGreetings! On the occasion of Westchester Disabled On the Move’s Twentieth Anniversary, I want to attempt to answer the oft asked question, “What is Independent Living?” Independent Living is a social movement, a worldview, as well as a provider of advocacy services to our consumers. Our foundational belief is that people with disabilities should be given an equal opportunity to realize their full potential as citizens, members of their communities, and as productive members of our society.
Our history is full of unique individuals who responded to society’s treatment of people with disabilities with tenacity and a commitment to take control of their own lives. One of these individuals, Ed Roberts who is considered to be the father of Independent Living, founded the first Independent Living Center in Berkeley California. Ed was accustomed to rejection since he developed polio at age10. In 1961, Ed was denied services from the state vocational rehabilitation agency as he was deemed too severely disabled and unemployable: that decision was ultimately overturned. Shortly thereafter, the University of California at Berkeley hesitated to admit him stating, “We’ve tried cripples before and it didn’t work”. Ed persevered and ultimately became the Director of Vocational Services in California (the same agency that previously denied him services) in 1975. Ed’s education at Berkeley went beyond the traditional curriculum as he organized a self-help organization for students with disabilities. This led to a realization of a need for a community based organization to advocate for people with disabilities and the first ILC was born in 1972. Six years later New York had its first ILC and six years after that Westchester Disabled On the Move was founded.
In order to achieve our vision of a truly barrier free community, ILCs must be involved in all aspects of our communities. We must offer our expertise to businesses and local governments to develop strategies to provide full access to services to people with a wide range of disabilities. We must partner with schools to provide role models for students with disabilities as well as assistance with transition plans. We must focus on our youth to support and nurture tomorrows Ed Roberts’s. We must consult with libraries, museums and other cultural institutions to ensure their capacity to serve our constituency. We have knowledge, expertise and commitment to our communities; we must reach out to make these assets available to all.
Hopefully, someday in the near future our people will be fully integrated into our society. Perhaps when we reach this goal the role of ILCs in our communities will change. But until that day we will continue to be “People Empowering People.”
Sincerely,
