History of Independent Living:

AN OVERVIEW OF HOW IT ALL STARTED

 

Forty-eight years is not a long time in the scheme of things, and it was forty-eight years ago that an eighteen year old man wanted to attend the University of California at Berkeley.  He applied and was accepted.

 

Now began the first act in a true success story.

 

Ed Roberts, the eager student, arrived on campus.  He wasn’t , however, the typical student.  Polio had left Ed paralyzed from the neck down.  He had movement in one finger, was on a respirator by day and used an iron lung at night.  Ed could not get his wheelchair through the doors of the university.

 

Depressed? Discouraged? Wouldn’t you be?

 

Not Ed.  This young man refused to be beaten.  He planned and organized and worked, worked hard.  He started the ball rolling – and it hasn’t stopped. Ten years later, in 1972, the first Center for Independent Living was formed in Berkeley.  Centers were begun that same year in Boston and in Houston.

 

Following effective advocacy by people with disabilities and their supporters, federal legislation was enacted in 1978 to provide funding to establish Independent Living Centers.  This funding is now known as Section 704 of Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act.  Today there are Centers in every state and in every United States territory.  Michigan currently has 14 Centers for Independent Living.

 

History of the BWCIL

The Blue Water Center for Independent Living opened in Port Huron, Michigan in July 1986 with a $7,400. state grant, under the auspices of Goodwill Industries.  The office was not much more than a room in the Carriage House at Goodwill Industries, behind United Way.  In 1987 the Center received a $25,000. grant from Michigan Rehabilitation Services and filed Articles of Incorporation.  The office relocated to 804 Huron Avenue in 1989 .  By 1996, however, growth of the organization made it necessary to move to larger quarters.  The BWCIL was moved to 310 Water Street, where it remained until April 2009, when it moved to the present location at 1042 Griswold Street.  

 

In its beginning the BWCIL was one small office in St. Clair County, serving the 5 counties of the Thumb Area (Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair and Tuscola counties) as best it could.  A very small office in Sanilac County was opened in the early 90’s and staffed on a part-time basis.  In 1996 a commitment was made by the BWCIL Board of Directors to begin building a capacity to have a physical presence in all 5 counties to meet customer demands. The first phase of expansion was to have the Sanilac County office expanded to allow for services to be provided 5 days a week and outreach to Huron, Lapeer, and Tuscola counties . The Sanilac County office is currently located at 103 East Sanilac, Sandusky, Michigan.  The 2nd phase of expansion occurred in Lapeer County with the opening and staffing of an office co-located with Lapeer Teamwork, in 1996.  Demand for service led to its move to its current location at 392 W. Nepessing Street, Lapeer, Michigan.   The Tuscola County office was opened in 1997 at its current location of 1184 Cleaver Road, Caro, Michigan. With the opening of the Huron County office in 2000, people with disabilities were able to receive services in their local community throughout the Thumb.  Today, the Huron County office is located at  614 North Port Crescent, Bad Axe, Michigan.

 

The founding Board of Directors included: George “Sandy” Duffy Jr., John R. Monahan, Jacqueline Weinbrecht, Linda Parker, Patti Lobert, Betty Maxwell, Michael Marone, Cheryl Kerr, Mary Gilli s, Wildred Beauvais, Fred Kerr, Ken Job, and Dan Langowski.  Frank Bublitz was hired as the first Director.

 

In 1992, under the leadership of Rob DeVary as Executive Director, the Center expanded its services and programs. Embracing the independent living philosophy, he refused to accept inferior lifestyles for anyone and he refused to believe that because a person had a disability that person couldn’t participate in life, live as independently as possible, and contribute to the community and society the same as anyone else.  His spirit guided the Center until his death in 2005.  In 2006, Angela Hoff became the Executive Director and has continued to build on the foundation of her predecessors to not only provide programs and services but to be a voice for change, advocating for accessibility in the community for  independent living.