Our Story

The Spirit of Independent Living

Teal circle with KK letters

Kristina "KK" Kapp

Executive Director, The Center for disAbility Empowerment

A disability rights and justice advocate with 24 years of experience — a survivor, a person with a disability, and a parent. A first-generation American, founder of Beliefactory, and founding steering member of Liberators for Justice (L4J). CdE is proud to be a 100% disability-led organization where 51%+ of staff share the lived experience of disability.

NARPA Vice President

MindFreedom President & CEO

L4J Founding Steering Member

SAFE Co-Founder

PAIMI Advisory Council

NARPA Vice President

CIL History Timeline

1972

The Movement Begins — Berkeley, CA

Ed Roberts and the Rolling Quads establish the first Center for Independent Living — a civil rights movement led by disabled people.

1978

Rehabilitation Act — CILs Go National

Federal legislation establishes consumer-controlled CILs. Core principles: consumer control, peer support, self-advocacy, full inclusion.

1990

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA is signed into law — a landmark civil rights achievement. CdE has a certified ADA coordinator for all consumers.

Today

CdE — Central Ohio's IL Leader

Serving 4 counties. 100% disability-led. Built on the belief that lived experience is essential expertise — not just a credential.

The Mission

To provide the "Strength, Innovation, and Leadership" necessary for individuals to lead their own lives and shape their communities — powered by consumer control and IL values.

Person-Centered Practice

Your Empowerment Agent never makes decisions for you. They provide access and voice so you decide for yourself — in your home, your neighborhood, your community.

Disability Leadership

51%+ of The Center for Disability Empowerment staff share lived disability experience. Consumer-majority governance. The L4J Recruitment Letter — signed by KK and OOD-CILs nationally — guides our ethics.

Six Months In: KK's Direction

Consumer control · Peer support · Self-advocacy · Cross-disability solidarity · The dignity of risk. Returning boldly to the beating heart of the IL Movement.

Our Vision for Central Ohio

A Central Ohio where disability is recognized as a natural part of human diversity — where accessibility is the standard, not the exception, and our community is celebrated as essential contributors.

Barriers are meant to be broken. Limitations exist in systems, not in people.