#CIL50: Reflection, Reunion, Renewal
Independent Living Summit

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 to Friday, October 21, 2022
Doors Open at 9:30 AM
Daily 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Ed Roberts Campus
3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA 94703
Ashby BART Station
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The Center for Independent Living, Inc. (CIL), headquartered at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA, will celebrate our 50th anniversary with a series of events in October 2022: #CIL50: Reflection, Reunion, Renewal. These landmark events include an Independent Living Summit. The goal of the summit is to reconnect with the issues and actions that have defined our movement and collectively engage, organize and plan for the next 50 years of advocacy for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our communities.
This 3-day conference style summit will engage disability community members in tracks committed to IL core services, community organizing advocacy, access to employment and more, while also serving to connect community members to Independent Living opportunities.
Participants can attend a single day, two days or all three. In-person space is limited due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols, so please register at your earliest opportunity. Virtual streaming options for viewing sessions will be available and announced closer to the event.
Summit Schedule
Wednesday, October 19th - Independent Living
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9:30 AM Refreshments and Registration
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10:00 AM Opening Plenary (Large Group)
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Welcome to the Independent Living Summit
Ted Jackson, Center for Independent Living, Inc (CIL)
Zayda Ortiz, Center for Independent Living, Inc (CIL)
The State of Independent Living
Kim Rutledge, Department of Rehabilitation
A snapshot of the history of IL services provided throughout California and locally in the East Bay through CIL, with a discussion on the future of service needs in our communities.
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#CIL50 HONORARY
HOST COMMITTEE
Honorary Co-Chairs
Representative Barbara Lee
Zona Roberts
Judith E. Heumann
Honorary Host Committee
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson
Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan
Berkeley Vice Mayor Kate Harrison
Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett
Berkeley Councilmember Rigel Robinson
Honorable Tom Harkin
Honorable Tony Coelho
Honorable Loni Hancock
Honorable Tom Bates
Joan Leon
Kathy Martinez
Melissa Male
Janni Lehrer-Stein
Joyce Bender
Merrill Friedman
Katherine Perez
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11:00 AM Morning Breakout Sessions (Small Groups)
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Access Tech: Assistive Technology in Our Communities
Morgan Kanninen, CIL Assistive Technology Specialist
CIL Community Consumers
An overview of Assistive Technology with a panel of AT-users sharing their specific AT journeys, their favorite devices, and their dreams for the future landscape of Assistive Technology.
Travel and Transit Safety Training
Ciara Lovelace, CIL Independent Living Skills Specialist
Alongside disabled peers and transit-users, learn and discuss ways to safely navigate various modes of public transportation independently and accessibly.
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12:00 PM Lunch: Pre-ordered box lunch or on your own
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1:00 PM Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Small Groups)
How to Hire and Manage Personal Care Attendants
Russell Rawlings, California Education Director, Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network
An interactive conversation for both attendants, domestic employers, and advocates on hiring and managing attendants, and building clear and respectful relationships between attendants and employers.
Wheelchair Repair 101
John Benson, CIL Residential Access Coordinator
Roll-in session for wheelchair-users to ask questions and receive free wheelchair repairs and build connections with other wheelchair-users.
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Housing 2.0
Janet Brown, CIL Housing Advocate
Max Dolane, CIL Housing Advocate
Learn about how to navigate the systems for getting into affordable and accessible housing, and the advocacy to create systems change for disabled community members seeking equitable housing opportunities.
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2:30 PM Break
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3:00 PM End of Day Plenary (Large Group)
Independent Living In The Community
Robin Earth, CIL IL Core Services Program Manager
Brandon Young, Athletic Director at Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program
Vanessa Castro, Artist, Author, Illustrator
Michelle Rousey, Disability Advocate, Artist, and Activist
A panel of diverse community perspectives on how independent living services have supported their goals of living in integrated communities.
Thursday, October 20th - Community Engagement
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9:30 AM Refreshments and Registration
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10:00 AM Starting Plenary (Large Group)
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Welcome to Summit Day Two: Community Engagement
Emma Martin, Center for Independent Living, Inc.
Disability Policy Today and Tomorrow
Claudia Center, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Sylvia Yee, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
An interactive panel discussion on the reemerging and emerging policy priorities for disabled Americans. Discussion will span the distance from the early and still on-going fight for access rights to progressive battle for the protection and accessibility of reproductive rights and justice.
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11:00 AM Morning Breakout Sessions (Small Groups)
Reimagining a Community-Centered Care System in California
Malcolm Harris and Care Fellowship Cohort, Caring Across Generations
Jade Theriault, Member from Hand in Hand: the Domestic Employers Network
Join California caregivers and recipients and the social justice organizations they are connected to as we re-imagine a system of care that expands home and community-based services through a BIPOC, disability, feminist and working communities lens that’s linked to addressing generational care issues through policy and organizing.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Training
Ron Halog, Independent Living Resource of Solano and Contra Costa
A fun and interactive training on the 4 steps to emergency preparedness, and action steps you will need to take before a disaster happens
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12:00 PM Lunch: Pre-ordered box lunch or on your own
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1:00 PM Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Small Groups)
Disability Community Organizing and Campaign Planning
Jessica Lehman, Executive Director, Senior and Disability Action and Senior and Disability Action Organizers
Ligia Montano, Health Care Organizing Director, Senior and Disability Action
Learn the ins and outs of community organizing and building campaigns that center accessibility, racial justice, class solidarity, gender equity, queer and trans liberation, and more!
Disability Housing Advocacy and Accessible Design
Eddie Ytuarte, Co-Chair, Oakland Tenants Union and Host of Pushing Limits, KPFA
Dolores Tejada, Lead Organizer, East Bay Housing Organizations
Fatimah Aure, Director of Field Building and Capacity, The Kelsey
Reverend Sophia DeWitt, Program Director, East Bay Housing Organizations
A conversation on emerging issues facing the disability communities' access to housing, ways we can organize to create change, and work being done within the fields of accessible and inclusive housing design.
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2:30 PM Break
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3:00 PM End of Day Plenary (Large Group)
Election 2022: Make a plan to vote!
Itzel Romero, CIL Systems Change Advocate
Fred Nisen, Managing Attorney Voting Rights Practice Group, Disability Rights California
Gabe Taylor, Senior Voting Rights Advocate, Disability Rights California
Bay Area Systems Change Advocates from the DOnetwork
Build accessible voting plans and learn ways to engage and mobilize the disability community to vote in the 2022 Midterm Elections. Learn about the advocacy needed to make voting more inclusive for disabled Californians and how you can be a change agent by building disability electoral power.
Friday, October 21st - Access to Employment
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9:30 AM Refreshments and Registration
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10:00 AM Starting Plenary (Large Group)
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Welcome to Summit Day Three: Employment
Ted Jackson, Center for Independent Living, Inc.
Robin Earth, Center for Independent Living, Inc.
The Next Frontier for Disability Inclusion and Equity: Employment
Hon. Tony Coelho, former Congressman and House ADA Author
Joe Xavier, Director, California Department of Rehabilitation
Morning keynotes on the development of the movement for creating more accessible and inclusive spaces in the workplace for disabled persons to increase their employment into competitive jobs with equitable pay. Congressman Coelho (retired), primary author and co-sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, will touch on the promise of the ADA and what more we need to do around employment to live up to this promise.
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11:00 AM Morning Breakout Sessions (Small Groups)
Navigating Employment Opportunities for Disabled Workers
Joyce Bender, Founder, Bender Consulting Services, Vice Chair, AAPD Board of Directors
Understanding that employing people with disabilities is great for business and provides freedom to Americans with disabilities. Exploring the opportunities open to disabled workers to advance their careers and build a sustainable future in the workforce.
The Disability Pipeline to a Career in Law
Katherine Perez, Executive Director, The Coelho Center for Disability Law Policy and Innovation at Loyola Law School
Exploring the pathways available to people with disabilities to enter into and sustain a career in the legal profession. Discussion on barriers and breaking barriers in law education to increase accessibility and inclusion for disabled persons seeking a legal career.
Becoming a Code Star
Laurence Carew, CIL Technology Educator
Learn about CIL’s CodeStars program and other tech-based programs to give participants digital creation skills and enter the workforce with valuable assets to compete for good pay and longevity in the tech and entertainment job market.
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12:00 PM Lunch: Pre-ordered box lunch or on your own
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1:00 PM Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Small Groups)
A Win/Win Scenario - Hiring from our Community
Merrill Friedman, RVP, Inclusive Policy & Advocacy at Elevance Health
Learn from a long-time Independent Living and Healthcare professional about the techniques and skills you can employ to become competitive in the corporate job market.
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New Media and Disability Representation: New Expectations for a New Age
Moderator: Lawrence Carter-Long, Director of Discourse for DisArt
Tari Hartman Squire, CEO, EIN SOF Communications & Diversity Media Consultant
Andrea Jennings, Accessibility and Disability Strategist, C Talent @Whaler; Co-Founder of RAMPD - Recording Artists and Musicians with Disabilities
James Ian, Musician and Actor
An intimate roundtable discussion about the intersection of Accessibility, Disability, and Integrated Marketing Communications.
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2:30 PM Break
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3:00 PM Closing Plenary (Large Group)
The Road to Independence is Paved with Jobs
Joyce Bender, Founder, Bender Consulting Services, Vice Chair, AAPD Board of Directors
Joining us will be experts who have made this their life's work and will enjoy a robust discussion on the challenges ahead for the community, along with the opportunities for us to move the needle forward.
Closing Keynote
Ted Jackson, CIL Executive Director
Recapping the takeaways from the summit and how to build a plan to put learning into action and increase access, inclusion and opportunity for the individual and the community as a whole.
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Special thanks to CIL’s service and program funders:


