Aims and background

Our approach, values and history

"LCiL works with disabled people to take control of their own lives, support their choice to take up their rights and enable their full participation in society"

Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) is a user-controlled organisation, providing a range of practical and emotional services to support disabled people to take control of their lives and live independently in the community. All services respond to needs identified by disabled people in order to promote their equal participation in all aspects of society.

Values of LCiL

We believe in:

Respect for the value of every member of society, including the right of every individual to equality of opportunity;
Respect for individual difference, personal choice and the right to privacy;
The right of Disabled People to take control over their own lives and to live independently in society;
The importance of services for Disabled People being designed and delivered by Disabled People;
Society's responsibility to promote social inclusion of Disabled people and remove the physical, financial and attitudinal barriers that exist within society;
The capacity of every individual to effect real and lasting change in their lives;
A person-centred and holistic approach to meeting the needs of Disabled People;
Mutual respect and honesty towards others;
The benefits of working with others in the interests of those we support.

Operational Principles

We are committed to:

Being a user-controlled organisation and working in partnership with Disabled People;
Working in partnership with the national and international Disability and Independent Living movements;
Promoting equal opportunities for Disabled People and challenging barriers that exclude them from participation in mainstream social activity;
Providing high quality services that are responsive to need, accessible, safe and enabling;
Providing our service users with opportunities for their personal, professional and social development;
Respecting the skills and experience of our members, staff and volunteers and providing opportunities for their continuous learning and professional development;
Operating within responsible boundaries of confidentiality;
Continuous improvement and the pursuit of best value;
Working together with other statutory and voluntary agencies, and with individuals in the best interest of disabled people;
Being an open and accountable organisation, which routinely consults its members, service users and other stakeholders.

The Aims of LCiL

The main aims of the Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living are:-

Provide a range of services to support Independent Living, developed and managed by and for disabled people.
Support the right for disabled people to live independently and take control of their own lives
Provide the opportunity for disabled people to further their own personal and professional development
Challenge the attitudes, and the physical and social barriers that create disability

Key Objectives

LCiL, through its staff and under the guidance of the Board, aims to carry out key objectives in pursuit of its overall aims. In short, they are:-

to provide information, and support to disabled people to enable them to set up their own independent living packages.
to provide training on relevant topics which will enable disabled people to gain the skills and confidence to make informed decisions about their life style and the support needed to sustain it
to offer training on Disability & Independent Living issues which can inform good practice of other organisations and enable them to comply with relevant legislation
to provide a payroll service for disabled people who employ their own support staff.
to provide training opportunities to those wishing to be employed as personal assistants.
to provide an accurate, up to date and accessible disability information service.
to provide an accessible telephone counselling service run by and for disabled people.

The Origins of the Idea

LCiL has its origins in the work of the Lothian Independent Living Group (LILG), a consumer group of disabled people, and the Lothian Coalition of Disabled People (LCDP), the former Lothian wide campaigning organisation for disabled people. Both groups were concerned with equality for disabled people and subscribed to the Independent Living philosophy. In 1989 LILG and LCDP recognised the importance of establishing an organisation that would provide a range of services based on needs directly identified by local disabled people, that would adhere to the social model of disability, and that would be directly accountable to disabled people.

Three people had already convinced Lothian Region Social Work Department that they should be given money directly to employ their own Personal Assistants, and were operating their own Independent Living schemes as a pilot. At the same time they (and other people) were inspired by the work of CILs in Hampshire, Derbyshire and abroad, and were determined to set up a similar organisation in Lothian. In 1991 LCiL would become the first organisation of its kind in Scotland, with a basis firmly rooted in the national and international Disability Movement.