What is a Centre for Inclusive Living (CIL)?
The first Centre for Inclusive Living (CIL) was started in
Berkeley, California in 1973. A young student called Ed
Roberts had mounted a campaign to be allowed into the
University. Even though he had all the right qualifications
he had been refused entry because he used a powerchair and
breathing respirator and the University felt his impairment made
him unfit to attend the course.
Eventually the University relented on the condition that Ed
stayed in the University Medical Centre, surrounded by medical
staff. Initially he agreed, but it was not long before he had
moved into a student flat and was employing other students to help
him. Other disabled people heard about this and eventually
three students who had been provided with personal assistance when
they were at university, decided that a Personal Assistance Service
was needed in the community. This developed into the first CIL, and
was based around five core services: housing; personal assistance;
accessible transport; access; and peer support.
The CIL in Berkeley was so successful that, within ten years,
over 200 CILs were set up in the United States. In Britain, CILs
were developed in Hampshire and Derbyshire in the early 1980's and,
since then, have spread throughout the UK.
CILs are organisations which provide user-led innovative
services enabling disabled people to gain choice and control over
every aspect of their lives. The key feature of a CIL is that it is
run and controlled by disabled people.
In Scotland the first CIL was set up in Edinburgh in 1991 and
Glasgow CIL was then established in 1996.
Background to GCIL
Making the dream become a reality….
There had been an ongoing campaign to develop a CIL in the West
of Scotland for many years, and the success of the Lothian Centre
for Integrated Living in helping disabled people lead fully
inclusive lives was an example of good practice which disabled
people in the West of Scotland wanted to emulate.
Ironically it was local Government reorganisation which really
provided a window of opportunity to develop the Glasgow CIL.
Strathclyde Regional Council (in 1995 the largest local authority
in Europe) was being broken up into smaller local
authorities. It was this process which brought together the
people, the funding and the political will to turn the CIL dream
into a reality.
GCIL Established
GCIL became a legal entity in its own right as a limited company
in 1996 and, at this time, there was a comparatively small staff
team.
Video transcript: