Jared Huffman speaking at National Council on Independent Living event - 2020

The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is an American nonprofit organization focused on

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

advocacy. It is a membership organization of centers for

independent living Independent living (IL), as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at society and disability, and a worldwide movement of disabled people working for equal opportunities, self-determination, and self-respect. In the context o ...

that provide services, advocacy, and referrals to people with disabilities; statewide independent living councils; and other organizations with related missions. NCIL works with the non-partisan

VoteRiders VoteRiders is an American non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to ensure that all US citizens over 18 years old are able to exercise their right to vote. Through resources and media exposure, one of its main focuses is ...

organization to spread state-specific information on voter ID requirements. NCIL was founded in 1982 by

Marca Bristo Marca Bristo (June 23, 1953 – September 8, 2019) was an American disability rights activist. Life and career Bristo was born Marcia Lynn Bristo on June 23, 1953, in Albany, New York, and was raised on a family farm in Castleton-on-Hudson, Ne ...

Charlie Carr Charles Carbitt Carr (December 27, 1875 – November 25, 1932) was an American baseball first baseman and manager. He played professional baseball from 1894 to 1919, including seven years in Major League Baseball with the Washington Senators (1 ...

, and

Max Starkloff Max Starkloff (September 18, 1937, St. Louis, Missouri – December, 2010) was a disability rights activist. Starkloff became disabled in a car accident in 1959 and subsequently co-founded three organizations. Personal life In 1959, at the ...

. The first independent living program was founded by disability rights activist Ed Roberts as a college student in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. NCIL hosts an annual conference in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

that includes a rally and march. NCIL's online news publication is ''The Advocacy Monitor''. NCIL advised on the design of a "low entry ramp" to promote wheelchair-accessible entry for

Motor Coach Industries Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is a North American multinational bus manufacturer, specializing in production of motorcoaches. Best known for coaches produced for intercity transit and commuter buses, MCI produces coaches for a variety of appli ...

' new buses. In 2019, NCIL launched the Elevate Campaign Training program to train people with disabilities to run for elected office. NCIL also collaborated with a health insurance corporation, Centene, on a project called the Provider Accessibility Initiative to improve health care for people with disabilities by increasing the number of medical care providers whose offices and services meet accessibility standards.

References

{{CI, date=June 2020 Health and disability rights organizations in the United States Disability organizations based in the United States Advocacy groups in the United States Civil rights in the United States