About Us

At Independent Living (IL) Canada, the term "Independent Living" is not just a label – it is a way of life. We apply an IL perspective to everything we do, advocating for the autonomy of all Canadians with disabilities. Our mission is to protect and preserve their independence in every aspect of life. We work through strong partnerships and collaborations with like-minded organizations, striving to build the largest and most supportive IL community possible.

Mission:

Independent Living Canada is a national non-profit organization of Independent Living Centres run by and for people with disabilities who promote the Independent Living Philosophy.

Vision:

Independent Living Canada envisions an inclusive and accessible society where people with disabilities are valued equally and participate fully.

Goals

• All Canadians with disabilities take control of their lives and advocate for themselves
• All Canadians with disabilities direct and manage their own resources to live autonomously

Our approach to IL emphasizes the importance of enabling individuals with disabilities to explore their own choices, make their own decisions, and take their own risks in order to live and manage their lives autonomously and with dignity. IL was created by and for people with disabilities as an alternative to outdated models based on medical, clinical, and institutional frameworks. Founded in 1986 by the IL Movement Membership, IL Canada serves as the national hub for a network of IL Member Centres, representing Canadians with disabilities that choose IL as their way of life.

We ensure a unified, powerful voice on national issues, advocating for the implementation and preservation of IL principles in Canada while defending the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people with disabilities. Independent Living is a way of thinking and living!

What Is Independent Living?

Independent Living (IL) is a vision, a philosophy and a movement led by persons with disabilities. At its heart is a simple belief: every person has the right to make choices, direct their own life and participate fully in their community.

Independent Living does not mean doing everything on your own. It means having choice and control over your life—including the support you need and how you receive it.

People have different needs, experiences and aspirations. Independent Living respects those differences. It begins with the person, their priorities and their right to define what a meaningful life looks like for them.

Choice, Dignity and Self-Determination

The Independent Living philosophy recognizes persons with disabilities as the experts in their own lives. It affirms the right to:

• Choose where, how and with whom to live.
• Make decisions about personal goals, daily life and support.
• Access information and opportunities to make informed choices.
• Learn through experience, including taking risks and making mistakes.
• Participate in community life with dignity and equal opportunity.

Requiring support does not diminish a person's right to make decisions. Independence is about self-determination, whatever form or level of support a person may use.

The Power of Peer Support

Lived experience is central to Independent Living. When persons with disabilities connect, they share practical knowledge, explore possibilities and learn from one another.

Peer support creates space for mutual understanding and encouragement. It recognizes that persons with disabilities are contributors, mentors and leaders whose experiences can help others navigate barriers and pursue their own goals.

Independent Living in Action

Across Canada, Independent Living Centres put this philosophy into practice through community-based organizations shaped and directed by persons with disabilities.

Centres support people to explore their options, build skills, access information and strengthen their ability to speak and act for themselves. The individual sets the direction, with support guided by their choices and priorities.

Independent Living Canada connects and supports this national network, helping strengthen the philosophy and movement through shared learning, collaboration and leadership grounded in lived experience.

Communities Where Everyone Belongs

Independent Living also means recognizing and addressing the barriers that limit people's choices. Inaccessible environments, attitudes, information and systems can prevent full participation.

The movement challenges the expectation that persons with disabilities must change to fit society. It calls for communities where accessibility, inclusion and belonging are part of everyday life—and where people have meaningful opportunities to learn, work, build relationships, contribute and lead.

Independent Living is about living your own life, in your own way, with the choices, opportunities and support to make that possible.

Our History

Built on Lived Experience. Carried Forward Together.

Independent Living in Canada grew from the determination of persons with disabilities to have greater choice, control and opportunity in their lives.

The movement challenged a long-standing practice of making decisions for persons with disabilities. In its place, it advanced a different approach: people directing their own lives, sharing knowledge through peer support and shaping the services and communities they were part of.

That belief brought people together, led to the creation of Independent Living Centres and remains at the heart of Independent Living Canada today.

The Roots of a Canadian Movement

In the early 1970s, grassroots disability organizations in Saskatchewan and Alberta helped build momentum for equality and full participation. Across the country, persons with disabilities were organizing, connecting and making their voices heard.

In 1976, the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (COPOH) was formed. Later known as the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, this organization helped strengthen the national voice of Canadians with disabilities. Its original name reflects the language of the period in which it was established.

Canadian leaders also learned from the emerging Independent Living movement in the United States, including the work of Ed Roberts and his peers in Berkeley, California. These ideas found resonance in Canada, where people were challenging exclusion and seeking greater control over their daily lives.

In 1980, Gerben DeJong presented the Independent Living paradigm at COPOH's national conference on rehabilitation. His presentation helped articulate an approach that shifted attention from professional control toward individual choice, community participation and the removal of barriers. Leaders including Allan Simpson and Henry Enns helped translate these ideas into action within the Canadian context.

Creating Places for Choice and Connection

In 1982, Canada's first Independent Living Centre was established in Kitchener, Ontario, with sponsorship from the Mennonite Central Committee's Ontario branch.

The Centre gave the philosophy a practical, community-based home—a place where persons with disabilities could connect, access information, share experiences and develop the skills and confidence to pursue their own goals.

Centres followed in Winnipeg and Calgary in 1984, while planning began in Thunder Bay. As the movement grew, local communities shaped their own responses to local needs, guided by a shared principle: persons with disabilities must have a central role in directing the organizations and supports intended to serve them.

These developments took place during a period of increasing attention to disability rights, including the United Nations' International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981, the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 and the coming into force of its equality rights provisions in 1985.

Coming Together as a National Network

In 1985, representatives meeting in Kitchener identified the need for a national organization dedicated to Independent Living. The following year, at an Independent Living conference in Ottawa, the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) was established.

Founded in 1986, CAILC connected Centres through a national organization that could support their development, strengthen their shared philosophy and create opportunities for collaboration.

The network continued to grow, with Centres in Toronto, Trois-Pistoles, Ottawa, Niagara, Kingston and other communities joining the movement. National conferences and annual meetings became important spaces for learning, relationship-building and exchanging ideas.

In 1988, recognition of the Independent Living movement by the Honourable David Crombie, then Secretary of State, marked a further milestone in its Canadian development.

Becoming Independent Living Canada

In 2008, CAILC adopted the name Independent Living Canada, introducing a new name and visual identity while maintaining the vision and purpose on which the organization was founded.

Throughout this evolution, the work has remained grounded in lived experience, peer support and self-determination. Member Centres support people to explore their choices, make informed decisions and strengthen their ability to speak and act for themselves.

This approach recognizes that needing support does not diminish a person's right to direct their own life.

Honouring Our Roots. Shaping Our Future.

In 2026, Independent Living Canada marks 40 years as a national organization within a movement whose Canadian roots extend back more than five decades.

This milestone belongs to generations of people: the founders who imagined something different; the leaders, staff, volunteers and peers who built and sustained Centres; and the individuals whose everyday choices and contributions give the philosophy meaning.

Their work established a foundation that continues to grow through new voices, emerging leaders and connections across communities.

As we look ahead, our responsibility is to carry that history forward—learning from those who came before us and ensuring that persons with disabilities continue to shape the future of Independent Living in Canada.

Our story continues wherever people have the choice, support and opportunity to live their lives on their own terms.

Organizational Chart

It is important to relay that IL Canada is, and always has been, a bottom up organization! We are rooted in the essential understanding that Canadians with Disabilities form the IL Movement in Canada through our member centres. IL Canada is a collective of these member centres; and as such our organizational chart does not necessarily resemble a classic organizational hierarchy. This is something we are proud of – it defines us and how we foster and engage the relationship with all Canadians with disabilities in the IL Movement in Canada.

Canadians with Disabilities
All Canadians with disabilities form the greater IL Movement in Canada. They inform IL Canada through respective member centres on what matters most to them and this information is what all activities of IL Canada is based. 

Member Centres (ILRCs)
Our member centres form the membership of IL Canada and work directly with and for Canadians with disabilities in their respective regions. Member centres are autonomous, accredited ILRCs within the IL Canada organization. 

Our Board and National Executive Director
Our board is responsible for the governance leadership of IL Canada and our National Executive Director enacts the day-to-day operational side of the organization.