Project Overview
To assist centers for independent living improve outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds who have completed or left secondary education.
Historically, youth with disabilities, particularly those from minority backgrounds, have faced additional barriers with the transition to adulthood. While much research has focused on the transition from school to work, the Administration for Community Living funded this work to fill the knowledge gap on services to help traditionally underserved youth that have already left school.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living
Minority Youth and Centers for Independent Living (MY-CIL) uses a grassroots, stakeholder-informed approach to empower centers for independent living to increase and improve services for traditionally underserved out-of-school youth from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Centers for independent living, or CILs, are community-based organizations that are run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities to promote the principles of independent living. MY-CIL seeks to generate and share new knowledge that is developed with input from CIL staff and youth participants, as well as other stakeholders such as providers, policymakers, and advocates. A stakeholder advisory group provides input on the design and execution of all research and training activities.
Evidence & Insights From This Project

Making Data on Minority Youth More Accessible to Centers for Independent Living
To help Centers for Independent Living (CILs) better serve minority youth, we gathered and organized data from the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2009 through 2019 into an interactive map and downloadable data briefs on this page.
Learn MoreWays CILs Can Sustain Engagement of Youth with Disabilities from Minority Backgrounds: Focus Group Findings
Working with Out-of-School Youth from Minority Backgrounds: What CILs Offer and What They Value
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