Centre for Independent Living in Toronto

The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) is a not for profit organization that supports people with disabilities and addictions.^[1] In 1993, CILT advocated to the Government of Ontario for financial support. The aim was to provide support to people with disabilities to pay for their own home care.^[2] By 2012, their advocacy succeeded and they were given responsibility for administering such a system.^[3] In the early 21st century CILT advocated against ableism and for better support for people with disabilities and improved access to COVID-19 vaccines.^[4][5]

Centre for Independent Living in Toronto

Formation	1984
Headquarters	Toronto
Executive Director	Wendy Porch
Website	https://www.cilt.ca/

History and activities

CILT was founded in 1984.^[1]

In 1993, CILT Executive Director Vic Willey advocated that governments provide funding needed for home care services to people with disabilities.^[2]

In 2012, CILT started managing a $1.7 million per annum government-funded program called the Self-Managed Attendance Program. The program initiated a new way of support people with disabilities by giving them the funds needed to hire home care.^[3]

CILT hosts the Parenting with a Disability Network.^[6][7]

In 2019, CILT co-sponsored a campaign to draw attention to the way in which people with disabilities are excluded from common activities.^[8][4]

In 2021, CILT's executive director became the inaugural chair of the Toronto Accessibility Task Force on COVID-19.^[5]

CILT's paper "CILT: Empowerment and Independent Living" is cited in Dustin Gale's 2018 book Working Towards Equity Disability Rights Activism and Employment in Late Twentieth-century Canada.^[9]

People

• Wendy Porch, executive director^[10][4]
• Ian Parker, senior adviser^[11]
• Sandra Carpenter, former executive director^[1]
• Ing Wong-Ward, former associate director^[12][13]
• Vic Willey, former executive director^[2]