Center for Independent Living - Berkeley

Center for Independent Living - Berkeley CIL supports and empowers people who aspire to achieve beyond the boundaries of the expectations

The Center for Independent Living (TheCIL) provides advocacy and services that increase awareness, collaboration, and opportunity among people with disabilities and the community. Our programs provide people with skills, knowledge, and resources that empower them to eliminate damaging and stereotypical notions of disability to strive toward realizing their full human potential. We emerged from the independent living movement of the 1960s as a powerful social catalyst on the University of California at Berkeley campus. There, Ed Roberts, Hale Zukas, and Jan McEwan Brown joined forces to lead a movement that made the university's full academic and social life accessible to all. On March 3, 1972, these students and community members joined The Center for Independent Living, Inc. From 1975 to 2011, our headquarters were located near the UC Berkeley campus on 2539 Telegraph Avenue. There, we provided services for people with disabilities that included wheelchair repair, assistance finding accessible and affordable housing, and vocational training. TheCIL also hosted the first national conference on independent living in 1975. Our peer-based services were so successful that today we serve as a model for roughly 400 independent living centers nationwide, as well as similar programs in 20 countries.

Dr. King reminded us that justice cannot be selective.This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we recommit to equity - because t...
01/19/2026

Dr. King reminded us that justice cannot be selective.

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we recommit to equity - because true justice means removing barriers and creating access for all.

Join us for a Trip to the Oakland Museum of California, hosted by the Center for Independent Living!Spend the day explor...
01/09/2026

Join us for a Trip to the Oakland Museum of California, hosted by the Center for Independent Living!

Spend the day exploring art, history, and culture with community. This trip is open to young people with disabilities ages 14–30.

📅 Friday, January 23
⏰ 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Meet at the Ed Roberts Campus

Museum admission and BART fare are covered.
Please bring your own lunch (if this is a barrier, let us know—we’re happy to support).

This outing is designed to be accessible and welcoming.

👉 Register here: http://bit.ly/4przvlJ (Or scan the QR code on the flyer)

Questions? Contact Lucky Maxwell at coco@thecil.org or (510) 422-5032 ext. 3191.

We’d love for you to join us!

Join us at the Ed Roberts Campus for a special Ed Roberts Day event honoring the life and legacy of the father of the In...
01/08/2026

Join us at the Ed Roberts Campus for a special Ed Roberts Day event honoring the life and legacy of the father of the Independent Living Movement.

On January 29, from 5:00–8:00 PM, we’ll gather for a community book reading of An Independent Man, led by the book’s author Scot Danforth, who will share selected readings and reflections on Ed Roberts’ life, leadership, and lasting impact on disability rights.

This gathering will also honor Lateef McLeod, a powerful disability justice organizer whose work centered Black disabled voices, collective care, and cultural expression, and Liz Henry, a longtime disability rights advocate, technologist, and community organizer advancing access, digital inclusion, and cross-movement collaboration.

📍 Where: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA
🗓 When: January 29, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:00–8:00 PM

The Ed Roberts Campus is fully accessible.
ASL interpretation and other accommodations are available upon request.
Masks required. Light refreshments will be served.

Register on Eventbrite to join us
https://bit.ly/4jrCKYW

This event is open to persons with disabilities, advocates, allies, students, and community members. We look forward to honoring Ed Roberts’ legacy together and continuing the work of building a more just, accessible, and inclusive world.

01/05/2026

🎙️ The Independent — Episode 2 is live

Disability Rights & Policy Power with Andy Imparato.

In Episode 2 of The Independent, Dr. Victor Pineda sits down with Andy Imparato, CEO of Disability Rights California and a leading voice in the disability rights movement.

They explore leadership rooted in lived experience, the long arc of policy change, and why persistence — even in the face of resistance — remains essential. Andy reflects on decades of advocacy, the power of collective action, and what it truly means to center disabled people in decision-making across housing, healthcare, education, and employment.

This episode continues the mission of The Independent: uplifting lived expertise, honoring movement history, and spotlighting the leaders shaping a more inclusive future.

Listen now:

Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4ptcbUK

Spotify: https://bit.ly/4pnPEIM

YouTube: https://bit.ly/4q4xcGn

If you believe in disability justice, community power, and the stories we uplift on The Independent, please consider supporting our work and sharing this episode.


We’re Hiring!Youth Programs Specialist (Part-Time)📍 Berkeley, CAJoin the Center for Independent Living (CIL) and support...
01/05/2026

We’re Hiring!
Youth Programs Specialist (Part-Time)
📍 Berkeley, CA

Join the Center for Independent Living (CIL) and support inclusive youth programs that advance independence, community connection, and disability justice.

You’ll work alongside our Youth Outreach Coordinator to support workshops, community outreach, and in-person programs for youth with disabilities under 30.

💥 Lived experience with disability encouraged
🌈 Bilingual/Bicultural a plus
🤝 Strong commitment to equity & disability justice

👉 Apply & learn more: https://bit.ly/4sokSlQ

We strongly encourage candidates from marginalized communities to apply — even if you don’t meet every qualification.

Celebrate the season with us at the CIL Holiday Market!Join the Center for Independent Living for a cozy, joyful evening...
12/09/2025

Celebrate the season with us at the CIL Holiday Market!

Join the Center for Independent Living for a cozy, joyful evening of holiday shopping, community connection, and seasonal cheer at the Ed Roberts Campus.

Shop from local and disabled-owned small businesses, discover unique and handmade gifts, and enjoy free hot drinks while you browse and celebrate with friends, family, and neighbors.

This is more than a market — it’s a community gathering rooted in access, creativity, and joy.

🗓 Thursday, December 18

⏰ 5–8 PM

📍 Ed Roberts Campus. 3075 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA

🎟 Free and open to the public

👉 Register to attend: https://bit.ly/48Ei6jq

We can’t wait to welcome you and celebrate the season together! 💛

Honoring a Legacy at Berkeley Central LibraryDr. Victor Pineda, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living ...
12/08/2025

Honoring a Legacy at Berkeley Central Library

Dr. Victor Pineda, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living (CIL), joined author Scot Danforth, Mark Roberts, and community members for the reading of An Independent Man — the first biography of Ed Roberts, founder of the modern Disability Rights Movement.

From the iron lung to the halls of UC Berkeley, Ed Roberts revolutionized what independence, access, and equality mean for disabled people. His vision helped shape the Center for Independent Living, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and a global movement for disability justice.

We are proud to carry his legacy forward — in action, advocacy, and community.

Congratulations to Scot Danforth on this powerful and essential contribution to disability history and justice.

12/03/2025

Episode 1 of The Independent Podcast is live!

Our premiere episode features Congresswoman Lateefah Simon in a powerful conversation on leadership, justice, and disability-informed policy.

Powered by the Center for Independent Living (CIL), The Independent amplifies disabled voices, lived experience, and the movements shaping our future.

This is where access meets action.

Listen now:

YouTube: https://bit.ly/4pgPXGd

Spotify: https://bit.ly/4rCfqLY

Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4phAOVj

Today, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we honor the power, leadership, and autonomy of persons wi...
12/03/2025

Today, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we honor the power, leadership, and autonomy of persons with disabilities around the world.

As Ed Roberts reminded us, the true barriers are not our bodies — they are expectations.
At CIL, we continue fighting for dignity, access, and independence for all.

For over 50 years, CIL has fought for dignity, access, and choice.This Giving Tuesday, stand with us and help power disa...
12/02/2025

For over 50 years, CIL has fought for dignity, access, and choice.

This Giving Tuesday, stand with us and help power disability justice. 💜

🔗 Donate now — link in bio
https://thecil.org/donate/

11/26/2025

With Giving Tuesday coming up, we’d like to remind you that your generosity helps power our mission and our community.

Your support of the Center for Independent Living fuels disability rights advocacy, independent living services, community education, and direct support for people with disabilities to live with dignity and choice.

Give today. Power real impact:
👉 https://thecil.org/donate/

Address

3075 Adeline Street Suite 100
Berkeley, CA
94703

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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