Who We Are

What is an Independent Living Resource Centre?

Independent Living Resource Centres (ILRCs) support individuals to put the idea and philosophy of Independent Living into action. Every Canadian ILRC is governed and staffed by a majority of people who themselves have disabilities. In this way, they can truly understand and respond to the needs of their members and the community. ILRCs are located in communities from coast to coast, and each ILRC reflects the uniqueness of a given community and region. Exercising full citizenship is at the core of the Independent Living philosophy and the work of the ILRCs.

History

In 1978, a group of people with a variety of disabilities began meeting in a local church basement in Kapuskasing, Ontario (a population of approximately 9,500 people). The purpose of the meetings was to provide support to one another, to find ways to address the issue of accessibility in Kapuskasing and to involve themselves in different activities. The organization was formally incorporated in May 1982 and became a registered, charitable, non-profit organization. At this time, we began to address many issues with more vigor that prevented people with disabilities from participating fully in the community by educating the public through outreach to the community, through the local schools and through information sessions. We also relocated so we could offer fully accessible offices and a drop in center.

Philosophy

We are a disability resource center that promotes the achievement of independent living for all people with disabilities. We recognize the rights of all citizens with disabilities to take control of their lives by examining choices, making decisions and even taking risks. Our goals are to identify and respond to unmet needs of people with disabilities and to put solutions into place. We are consumer controlled, which means that our services and managerial structures will be governed by a minimum of 51% of people with disabilities. We encourage the full participation of people with disabilities in the planning, monitoring and delivery of all our programs and activities. We also encourage flexibility in our programs and services. If programs no longer service a need or where a more appropriate service base has been found, then the center will seek to avoid duplication of existing services and will seek to fill in the gaps in the communities current services.

Our Mandate

The Disability Resource Centre for Independent Living promotes the achievement of independent living for all consumers with disabilities living in the Kapuskasing area.

The organization shall be dedicated to the development and promotion of the independent living philosophy and the movement in the Kapuskasing region and will strive for the following principles:

• Consumer Control - This principle ensures that the organization services and managerial structures will be governed by a minimum of 51% consumers with disabilities.
• Consumer Participation - Having this principle will encourage the full participation of disabled consumers in the delivery, planning and monitoring of all major programs and activities initiated by the Centre.
• Cross-Disability Constituency - Having this principle will encourage the organization to reflect a wide cross-section of the disabled community and respond to the individual unmet needs of all potential consumers of its services.
• Community Involvement - Having this principle calls for ongoing consultation with a broad range of community expertise. Involving expertise at a variety of levels in the organization will ensure an appropriate level of service standards in the development and delivery of its programs.
• Flexibility - Having this principle assures that the organization will respond to every changing needs. Thus, the centre should be able to "phase out" programs it had developed where they no longer serve a need or where a more appropriate service base has been found. In this process, the center will seek to avoid duplication of existing services and will seek to fill in the gaps in the community's current services.