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What is Independent Living?

Independent Living is about having the freedom to have the same choices that everyone else has in housing, transportation, education and employment.

Independent living is about choosing what aspects of social, economic and political life people want to participate in.

Independent living is about having control over your life, to have a family, to get a job, to participate socially and to realise your goals and dreams. For many disabled people, Independent Living can best be achieved by the employment of Personal Assistants to provide supports where needed. At the core of the Independent Living Philosophy is people living like everyone else: being able to have control of your life, having opportunities to make decisions about your life and being able to choose activities that you want to do, regardless of impairment.
According to the prominent disability activist Judy Heuman, ‘Independent Living is not doing things by yourself, it is being in control of how things are done. Independent Living is not just about daily living. It is about self-determination, control, choice and the real freedom to make decisions. Independent Living is about people being empowered to challenge society barriers to achieving full and equal citizenship.

Our Services

Empowerment, independence, options and rights are the values which inspire our services. To the core of the Independent Living Movement is personal assistance. Working to the agenda of the 'Leader', a PA enables the person with a disability to make their own decisions and be in control of their own life. A PA undertakes a variety of tasks under the direction of the leader (on a one-to-one basis), ranging from personal care and educational and social support to household assistance.

Donegal Centre for Independent Living

Personal Assistance Service

DCIL are proud to be the original providers of Personal Assitance (PA) service to people with disabilities in Donegal.

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DCIL Education Support Services

Education Support Services

DCIL provides Educational Support Workers (ESWs) to support students with disabilities in third-level education.

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DCIL Accessible Transport Hire

Accessible Transport Hire

DCIL provide a invaluable van service for our Leaders who do not have any other means of accessible transport.

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Donegal Centre for Independent Living

Disability Awareness Training

DCIL provide disability awareness training in schools to develop a positive attitude towards people with disabilities.

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Donegal Centre for Independent Living

Accessibility Audits

Designed to help you create spaces that are inclusive, welcoming, and accessible to everyone.

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Quotes from DCIL Leaders and PAs

DCIL means a lot to me as I can live independently with the help of PA’S. I personally feel DCIL is a great service as it gives you the chance to live a normal lifestyle daily. Any problems big or small they are always at hand to assist and accommodate you in the best possible way they can.

Christopher Mc Brearty
DCIL Leader

DCIL means not feeling like I m a total burden to my family. It means breathing more easily knowing I have a fantastic support network around me. It means living with dignity and independence.

Kathy Gillespie
DCIL Leader DCIL & DCIL Board Member

DCIL means to me to give a person with a disability the help needed for them to live a normal life as independently as possible.

Donna Furey
DCIL Personal Assistant

DCIL means being able to improve the quality of life of our leaders and allowing them to live independently in the familiar surroundings of their own home.

Michelle Ferguson
DCIL Personal Assistant

It means a lifeline, a way to be independent from my parents. I feel less of a burden to my parents who are 69 + 70 & those around me. I know I will need DCIL to the end of my days, I feel secure in the fact I’m not a name, a number or seen as disabled, I’m seen as a person.

Michelle Boyle
CIL Leader