The National Council on Independent Living Endorses Helen Journal

HELEN Journal is proud to announce that The National Council on Independent Living has joined the list of national disability advocacy organization that have endorsed and promoted an affiliation with HELEN.  

The National Council on Independent Living is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities.  Founded in 1982, NCIL represents thousands of organizations and individuals including: individuals with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs), and other organizations that advocate for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities throughout the United States.

Mission

NCIL advances independent living and the rights of people with disabilities.

Vision

NCIL envisions a world in which people with disabilities are valued equally and participate fully.

The Executive Director: Theo Braddy

Theo Braddy has advocated on behalf of people with disabilities for over 40 years. At 15, he became a person with a disability due to a high school football accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. In 1988, Braddy was hired as CEO of the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania, where he served for over 30 years. As CEO, Braddy created an independent living center that became a strong and growing voice for people with disabilities, and started the Living Well with a Disability Initiative.

Braddy currently serves as Executive Director of The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL). He has taught at Temple University and Millersville University as an Adjunct Professor. Two different Governors have appointed Braddy as a Commissioner for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and to serve on the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council. In 2021, Governor Wolf appointed him to serve on the State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation. In 2022, Braddy was selected by Senator Robert Casey, Jr., as one of four Black leaders in Pennsylvania who has demonstrated power and persistency in overcoming challenges and creating meaningful change in the State, and his contribution was acknowledged on the Senate Floor at a Congressional Hearing. He graduated from Temple University with his MSW in 1988 after receiving his BSW from Edinboro University.

Braddy’s Message (2025) : The Tomorrow We See

There is no tomorrow without a today.

So, today we see:

Many of us are still being institutionalized.

Many of us are still locked into poverty — asset limits prevent us from creating savings and even getting married to the ones we love.

Many of us are still being left behind during a disaster, forgotten about, and facing a fiery death or our life-sustaining equipment is destroyed.

Many of us, during a pandemic, are determined less valuable than our nondisabled citizens and we are not treated with life-sustaining medical treatment. Instead, it is given to the nondisabled person who, as the professionals put it, contributes more to the good of society.

Many of us are not hired for jobs because we are believed to be incapable of quality work.

Many of us are paid subminimum wages because we are considered less deserving.

Many of us do not get the medical care we need from doctors and medical providers because we are not seen or heard. 

Many of us even see ourselves how society sees us — we internalize the negative perceptions of us. 

But tomorrow, we see:

Freedom to live wherever we choose!

Tomorrow, we see potential! We see growth and yes, even wealth.

We see marriage and love — to whomever we choose.

Tomorrow, we see life and safety — we see our importance.

We see jobs, not just any jobs, but careers that impact the well-being of society.

We see worth and wages based on our results, not pre-conceived notions. 

We see quality medical equity and fair treatment regardless of who we are.

Tomorrow, we see people with all types of disabilities, from all backgrounds and identities, young and old, coming together in a collective voice – that is what we see.

Tomorrow, we see older leaders with disabilities and young leaders with disabilities changing the world together. 

Tomorrow, we see allies without disabilities fighting with us, and in return, we fight with them.

Tomorrow, we see an end to ableism.

So, yes, there is no tomorrow without a today!

But we know this to be true — tomorrow will come!