We speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, German, French, Luganda, Swahili, Runyankore, and Vietnamese. Other languages accommodated through Language Line.
Welcome to the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL)
BCIL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has provided services to people with disabilities since 1974, when it became the second independent living center in the country. The organization was created by people with disabilities seeking full integration into society. BCIL accomplishes this by empowering people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities with the practical skills and self-confidence to take control over their lives and become active members of the communities in which they live. At the same time, BCIL engages in advocacy and community organizing to promote access and change within society.
Our Mission Statement
The Boston Center for Independent Living is a frontline civil rights organization led by people with disabilities that advocates to eliminate discrimination, isolation and segregation by providing advocacy, information and referral, peer support, skills training, PCA services, and transitional services in order to enhance the independence of people with disabilities.
Our Antiracism Statement
The Boston Center for Independent Living commits to making all aspects of our work antiracist, not only because it is just but also because it is necessary to serve and represent our community of people with disabilities. We commit to purposefully identifying, discussing, and challenging issues of race and ethnicity to address the impact they have on our organization, our work, and our people. Moreover, we will add our voice and advocacy to similar antiracist efforts in our community.
If you suspect abuse or neglect of a person with disabilities, please contact the Disabled Persons Protection Commission hotline at 1-800-426-9009 or 1-888-822-0350 TTY (ages 18-59), the Executive Office of Elder Affairs at 1-800-922-2275 (ages 60+), the Department of Public Health 1-800-462-5540 (all Ages residing in Long Term Care Facilities), and the Department of Children and Families at 1-800-792-5200 (ages birth-17). The DPPC Sexual Assault Response Unit can be reached at 617-727-6465.
Click hereto view the recent Updates to The Ride Program letter
Are you or a family member in One Care? Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) or Tufts Health Unify? Are you thinking about joining? Join us for a statewide discussion about One… Read More
Virtual Housing Workshop Join us on the first and third Wednesday of every month to learn more about and how to apply for affordable housing options in your area. Our… Read More
Virtual Housing Workshop Join us on the first and third Wednesday of every month to learn more about and how to apply for affordable housing options in your area. Our… Read More
Semi-Annual Settlement Update Meeting hosted by Judge Patrick King: Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021 Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Location: Zoom Judge King will report on the MBTA's progress towards compliance with the Daniels-Finegold v. MBTA settlement agreement focused on accessibility.General Manager, Steve Poftak, the Department of System-Wide Accessibility and other MBTA officials will provide updates and answer questions about ongoing accessibility initiatives.This meeting will focus on Bus, Subway, and Commuter Rail accessibility (not The RIDE).Sign up for the event at zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsd-CtrzwiGNAOOf2UR8H1Nbn4N-An7eFVIf you cannot attend the meeting, it will be recorded and available on the event page to view at a later date. CART and ASL will be provided. If you need an accommodation or language translation to fully participate, please email swa@mbta.com. ... See MoreSee Less
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Judge King Semi-Annual Settlement Update . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Adaptive Sports and Recreation Demonstration Date: Saturday, December 4, 2021, 1:30pm – 3:30pm Location: BCYF Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120 Contact, Jim Wice, info@bostonselfhelpcenter.org ow.ly/fwkh50H3bmG... See MoreSee Less
Home Our Mission: The Boston Self Help Center Inc. is a 501(c) 3 non-profit run by and for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses providing and advocating for adaptive sports, recreation and o...
Earlier this year, Waltham’s Recreation Board held a special meeting to fast track a permit for the holiday light show at the former Fernald School without opposition. The city then sought a planner for the northern part of the site, where vandals have been allowed to destroy tens of millions of dollars of property. The city’s proposal no longer includes a museum as a potential use, only an unspecified memorial. Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy still refuses to speak with disabled people, and the light show has returned. In response to this ongoing abuse of a site of conscience, our letter, signed by more than two dozen disability organizations and organizers, is below. An Open Letter Regarding the Use of Former Disability Institutions in Massachusetts Tens of thousands of citizens with disabilities were once locked away for life in institutions all over Massachusetts. This story is not long past, but there is a disturbing effort underway to erase it in communities that once housed these facilities. This includes cities like Waltham, where the ruins of the Fernald School—the oldest of the former state school sites—are yet again being used for a holiday light show. There, community leaders have eagerly solicited ideas that will hide the school’s history, from its darkest days to the era of reform that began in the 1970s. Along the way, they have reflexively excluded people with disabilities from any substantive role in envisioning how the site should be handled. Meanwhile, no municipal efforts have been made to recognize the survivors of institutions, tell their stories, or even meet with them. In Waltham, as with almost every other site in Massachusetts, disabled people have been shut out. This erasure is not just a concern of the past. The same mindsets that transformed institutions into warehouses that forcibly hid disabled people out of sight are now the mindsets that lead communities like Waltham to hide their history behind holiday lights. These actions send a clear and disturbing message to disabled children, adults, and institutional survivors in our communities. As disabled people and disability rights organizations, we denounce this trivialization of the past and the baffling dedication community leaders have shown to doing it again and again while ignoring the very people who sites like the Fernald are about. We call on them embrace basic decency and stop conducting these light shows on grounds that deserve reflection and respect. Organizational Signatories: Arc of MassachusettsCenter for Public Representation Boston Center for Independent Living The Belchertown State School Friends AssociationDisability Law Center Disability Policy Consortium Harvard Law School Project on Disability Human Services Research Institute Kiva CentersLurie Institute for Disability Policy Mass Advocates Standing Strong Massachusetts Association for Mental Health MassFamilies Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community MetroWest Center for Independent Living Northeast Center for Independent Living Northeast Recovery Learning Community SouthEast Recovery Learning Community Wildflower Alliance Wild Ivy Social Justice NetworkIndividual Signatories:Anne Fracht, past Board President, MASS Alex Green, Visiting Fellow, Harvard Law School Project on Disability Ingrid Grenon, Author Sera Davidow, Director, Wildflower Alliance Evan Rockefeller Sue Rorke, MWCIL Ida Shaker Zachary Sherman Carol Steinberg, Attorney and Writer ... See MoreSee Less
Information from the One Care Implementation Council Are you or a family member in One Care? Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) or Tufts Health Unify? Are you thinking about joining One Care? Join us for a statewide discussion about One Care. Share your thoughts about One Care with MassHealth and fellow One Care members.Sponsored by the One Care Implementation Council.WHEN: December 14 from 10:00 am-12 noon HOW: Register for the Dec 14th Town Hall for Zoom: bit.ly/RegisterICTownHallor Join the meeting by phone: 1-646-876-9923 (Meeting ID: 940 3359 4823 and Password: 373067) For questions, contact the My Ombudsman program at 855-781-9898, VideoPhone: 339-224-6831, or via email at: info@myombudsman.org. Closed captioning, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and Spanish translators will be available. For any other reasonable accommodation and translator requests contact margaret.carey@umassmed.edu FAQ for the Dec 14, 2021 Town Hall meeting can be found at: bostoncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Dec-14-2021-Town-Hall-FAQ-final.pdfFacilitated by Community Catalyst ... See MoreSee Less
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: One Care Town Hall, hosted by the Implementation Council. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
The
Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) reserves the right to use any photograph or video taken at any event sponsored by BCIL without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph or video. BCIL may use the photograph or video in publications or other media material produced, used, or contracted by BCIL. To ensure the privacy of individuals and children, images will not be identified using full names or
personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed or videotaped subject, parent, or legal guardian. A person attending a BCIL event who does not wish to have their image recorded for distribution should make their wishes known to the photographer or videographer, event organizers, and/or contact BCIL directly.
