The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is an American nonprofit organization focused on disability rights advocacy. It is a membership organization of centers for independent living 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 organization to spread state-specific information on voter ID requirements.

NCIL was founded in 1982 by Marca Bristo, Charlie Carr, and Max Starkloff. The first independent living program was founded by disability rights activist Ed Roberts as a college student in Berkeley, California.

National Council on Independent Living

NCIL hosts an annual conference in Washington, D.C. that includes a rally and march. NCIL's online news publication is The Advocacy Monitor.

National Council on Independent Living

NCIL advised on the design of a "low entry ramp" to promote wheelchair-accessible entry for Motor Coach Industries' 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.

National Council on Independent Living

References

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