What We Do

OUR MISSION

The Blue Water Center for Independent Living is a consumer driven organization that advocates, 
informs, and supports all people with disabilities to live independently.

OUR NETWORK

Our office is part of a state and national network serving people with disabilities (www.dnmichigan.org). On the state level, we have a board of directors, participate in committees, share ideas, address public policy issues with our legislators, and seek funding to build the network.

On the federal level, many of us belong to the National Council on Independent Living (www.ncil.org). This group monitors and encourages advocacy on federal legislation, as well as the policy that governs federally funded centers like ours across the US.

Our organization is staffed and managed by a majority of people with disabilities. We serve people with any type of disability, including some that may be “invisible,” such as learning disorders. Instead of focusing solely on the disability, we address the needs of the whole person to achieve a more balanced life. And unlike many organizations, we’re here to support the community as well as the individual.

OUR VISION

As the leading advocate for people with disabilities in Michigan’s Thumb region, BWCIL is working 
toward a community where:
• Employers seek qualified employees, regardless of disability, and provide reasonable 
  accommodations. 
• Workplaces and public spaces are accessible. 
• Transportation is readily available. 
• Government agencies provide willing assistance and supports. 
• Mentoring and self-advocacy training are readily available. 
• Accessible, affordable homes are available near jobs or on a transit route.

We are guided by the following principles:
• No one is excluded from participation in the community due to a disability. 
• Disabilities are a normal part of life. 
• Self-determination is essential to our dignity as human beings.
• The best people to address issues of disability in the community are people with disabilities.
• People with disabilities have equal access to all aspects of life and community.