2021 Annual Conference on Independent Living
July 19-30, 2021
The application deadline has been extended to Thursday, March 25.
NCIL is excited to announce our virtual 2021 Annual Conference on Independent Living! The theme of NCIL’s 2021 Annual Conference is Liberty, Independence, Freedom, and Equity. The past year has been a stark reminder of the need for survival, but we all have the right to Liberty, Independence, Freedom, and Equity. We fight to survive, but there is so much more to LIFE!
2021 is a year of rebuilding and recommitment. The events of the past year have been glaring, unnecessary reminders of the rampant ableism, racism, and oppression engrained in our society. We have the solutions, we have the power, and we can overcome them. Independent Living is built on advocacy and peer support. We must come together to share our knowledge and actualize our power. This is the promise and power of the Annual Conference on Independent Living!
NCIL’s Annual Conference is the largest Independent Living event of the year. NCIL regularly hosts over 1,000 people, including grassroots advocates, CIL and SILC leadership, members of Congress, government officials, and representatives from other organizations that work for justice and equity for people with disabilities.
Liberty, Independence, Freedom, and Equity represent the pillars of the work we must do. We will fight for the liberty of people with disabilities incarcerated in institutions, including nursing homes, psychiatric institutions, intermediate care facilities, jails and prisons, and other congregate settings. We will fight for the independence and freedom of people with disabilities to lead our own lives. We will fight for equity in all that we do to achieve a more just, anti-racist, and equitable society and Independent Living Movement. This is our agenda. Join Us!
With this aim, NCIL seeks workshops for our 2021 Annual Conference in the following tracks:
- Advocacy & Policy Work: Workshops addressing the political power of the disability community, including ending the institutional bias, emergency preparedness and response, voting rights, and systems advocacy.
- Independent Living 101 Track: Workshops oriented towards youth, new attendees, and other individuals new to the Independent Living Movement.
- Core Services Track: Workshops addressing innovation and best practices in the core services of Centers for Independent Living, especially the new core services of youth transition, transition from institutions to the community, and avoiding institutions.
- Inclusion, Intersectional Work, Race & Equity: Workshops by and for multiply-marginalized people with disabilities, workshops by and for people whose disabilities are underrepresented in IL, and topics related to race, equity, and full inclusion of multiply-marginalized people with disabilities in the IL Movement.
- SILC Track: Workshops covering best practices and innovation in operations, programs, autonomy, and authorities of Statewide Independent Living Councils.
In addition to these priorities, NCIL’s Annual Conference Subcommittee encourages workshops that seek to improve the skills and resources of IL staff to carry out the core services of CILs and operate strong SILCs. NCIL also welcomes applications for virtual Poster Sessions, virtual Film Screenings, and other media that address our priority topics and Independent Living.
- Please see NCIL’s Important Information for Presenters for further details before planning your proposal. Presenters and facilitators are not exempt from registration fees. Presenters must register and pay for all days they plan to attend; presenters that attend only their session and no other events do not need to register nor pay.
- Deadline for Submission is Thursday, March 25, 2021. No proposals will be accepted after 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Word and plain text proposal forms are available for those who are unable to complete the online form.
