History

The project was born in the nationwide independent living civil rights movement which was created by college students with disabilities who were fed up with discrimination and lack of access for persons with disabilities. In the late 1960's and early 70's, inspired by the successes of those who opposed discrimination on the basis of race, age or gender, these students decided to make their own opportunities and assist their peers to do the same.

Advocates with disabilities in Berkeley, California, Boston, Massachusetts, and eventually throughout the nation, worked to get official support for their own community centers, based on consumer control and self-direction. This development marked a vast change in the traditional "medical rehabilitation" approach to treatment in which either the individual was fully cured or faced institutionalization. These centers work for positive change in the community and teach skills to their programs' participants,improving the consumer's situation in order to make independent life with a disability possible.

In 1979, "The Independents," a group of students with disabilities at the State University of New York at Buffalo, investigated the independent living movement and programs of existing centers and began operating The Western New York Independent Living Project. The Agency was awarded its first Federal Title VII grant in 1980 and opened its facility early in 1981.

The Project worked to fill the gaps that had existed between medical rehabilitation service agencies and the needs of people with disabilities who have often "fallen through the cracks." It did this through systems advocacy, coordination with other agencies and a comprehensive program of services.

The WNYILP is a family of agencies including the Independent Living Center of Western New York (ILC), Mental Health PEER Connection (MHPC), Native American Independent Living Services (NAILS), AZtech and the Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Independent Living Management (RRTC-ILM). All five retain the philosophy of consumer control and focus on the individual, while augmenting the services offered.

Prior Year Highlights

1981 ILP acquired a wheelchair lift-equipped van.

1984 ILP provided 17 services including career guidance, housing assistance, and architectural barrier consultation.

1985 Services expand to offer: Sign Language Interpreters, interpreter resource library.

1987 "Be Parking Considerate" campaign launched.

1988 Computerized print-to-Braille transcription service added.

1989 Set up library resource room with a community-accessible computer.

1990 Expanded information outreach efforts with weekly radio interview program for consumers with disabilities and the general public

1991 The first UNIFEST Street Fair and Festival, WNYILP fundraising program

1992 ILC secured two grants to expand services to, and advocate for the rights of, recipients of mental health services.

1993 Partnership with the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Evaluation and Transfer (RERC-TET), to commercialize new assistive devices.

1994 "Porky Parker Disability Awareness Program" for elementary school students implemented.

1995 Native American Independent Living Services (NAILS) began operation.

US government-sponsored exchange with colleagues at independent living centers in Brazil.

RERC-TET began national testing study, "Consumer Criteria for Assistive Devices, Phase I."

First Annual "The Tailgate: A Charity Football Fest" WNYILP Fundraising program, before a UB Bulls home game

"Kids Understanding Disabilities" Statewide youth awareness program held at Maple West Elementary School in Williamsville.

ILC formally united with Action for Mental Health (AMH)

1997 ILP began vocationally oriented Peer Transportation Program for Erie County's recipients of mental health services.

1998 Videotaping of first "Points of View" quarterly public access program, to be shown on cable systems across the Empire State.

Consumers and employers attend the ILP family of agencies' Job Fair "People with Disabilities On The Move".

"It's In The Bag" mental health anti-stigma program for elementary school children implemented.

NAILS establishes outreach office in Niagara Falls, Cattaraugus and Tuscarora Reservations.

\The Rehabilitation Engineering Resource Center for Technology Transfer (T²RERC) replaces RERC-TET, bringing additional strategic partners and a second mandate: the development of new concepts.

1999 The WNYILP demonstrates against the Forced Outpatient Treatment bill, (aka "Kendra's Law").

Grand Opening of the new connecting building addition.

T²RERC partners to Pittsburgh for two-day North American Stakeholders Forum on Wheeled Mobility

WNYILP assisted with the Fourth Statewide Conference of the Coalition on Independent Living (COIL) in Niagara Falls

Press Conference by Citizens Against Discrimination (CAD) on discriminatory treatment of people with disabilities by citing practices of the City of Buffalo and Erie County.

2000 The WNYILP became the first independent living center to house a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.

In its twenty years, the WNYILP has constantly adapted and augmented its services and advocacy to meet the needs of the citizen with a disability and to encourage individual self-sufficiency.