An International Summit Conference on Independent Living

Washington, DC
September 21-25, 1999
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About ILRU

The Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) Program was established in 1977 to serve as a national center for information, training, research, and technical assistance for independent living. ILRU is a program of TIRR, a nationally recognized, free-standing rehabilitation facility providing patient care, education, and research to promote the integration of people with physical and cognitive disabilities into all aspects of community living. TIRR is part of TIRR Systems, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing a continuum of services to individuals with disabilities. ILRU staff working on this summit include Lex Frieden, Carri George, Richard Petty, Laurie Gerken, Marj. Gordon and Laurel Richards.

Founded in 1982, the National Council on Independent Living is a membership organization representing independent living centers and individuals with disabilities. NCIL has been instrumental in efforts to standardize requirements for consumer control in management and delivery of services provided through federally-funded independent living centers. Since 1992, NCIL has had a national office in the Washington, D.C., area which has strengthened its capacity to serve as the voice for independent living in matters of critical importance in eliminating discrimination and unequal treatment based on disability. NCIL staff working on this summit include Anne-Marie Hughey and Raymond Lin.

Founded in Brazil in 1986, Third Millennium Events, Inc., organizes international and domestic conferences, produces commissioned documentaries, and develops public education projects delivered through the mass media. Third Millennium specializes in projects concerning social issues, particularly those which focus on disability. Currently operating from its headquarters in Washington, D.C., Third  Millennium has organized major conferences including the "International Leadership Forum for Women with Disabilities" in 1997 and the "International Symposium and Colloquium on Job Retention and Return to Work--Strategies for Workers with  Disabilities" in 1998. Third Millennium staff working on this summit include Rosangela Berman-Bieler and Ana Helena Rotta Soares.

The World Institute on Disability is a non-profit public policy center dedicated to the promotion of independence and full inclusion in society of people with disabilities. Founded in 1983 by leaders of the independent living/civil rights movement for people with disabilities, WID is committed to bringing policy into action. WID has extensive experience in developing and conducting international conferences, seminars, and training workshops in independent living, leadership development, and organizational capacity-building for  disability organizations, development NGOs, and governmental agencies from around the world. Since 1983, WID has collaborated with a worldwide network of disabled-directed organizations and has hosted and trained over 1000 foreign visitors from more than 90 countries in Spanish, English and Russian. WID staff working on this summit include Bruce Curtis, Kathy Martinez, and Marc Behrendt.

Also working on this summit was Barbara Duncan, deployed from Rehabilitation International.