Independent Living Center of Kern County

About ILCKC

The Independent Living Center of Kern County (ILCKC) empowers and supports inclusion for people with disabilities. Through our various services and programs, our staff offer a hand up for people with disabilities, aging adults, and individuals with access and functional needs to live as independent as possible in order to obtain the best quality of life.

Staff of ILCKC at 
2025 KC ADA ConferenceGrowth and Impact

In 2025, the Independent Living Center fielded over 1,000 calls from community members seeking services.

Thanks to funds raised through GiveBigKern 2025 and a grant received from the Friends of Mercy Foundation Sister Phyllis Hughes/Sister Judy Morasci Endowment, our Assistive Technology Repair and ReUse Program grew from serving 28 people in 2024 to 77 people in 2025. This means people who had no other means of obtaining equipment like wheelchairs, rollators, and power scooters received a piece of equipment that increased their independence.

Our American Sign Language program offers Qualified ASL interpreters to businesses, agencies, and organizations. In 2024, we provided an average of 550 hours per month of American Sign Language interpreting. That number grew to 750 hours per month in 2025.

Our agency is committed to serving the needs of the community with the resources we have.

In 2025 the KeAttendees at 2025 KC ADA Conferencern County Americans with Disabilities Act Conference changed venues to the Bakersfield Marriot and was sold out! 250 people, 30 vendors, and multiple sponsors including Anthem and the Leggio Family gathered to learn about topics like how Self-Serve Kiosks impact people with disabilities ability to access products and services. In 2026 the Conference will be held on July 30th and 31st at the Bakersfield Marriot. Keynote speakers include former Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin and the Executive Director of the National Council on Disabilities Ana Torres-Davis. Breakout sessions include topics such as Digital Accessibility, the Rights of Students with Disabilities and a virtual reality demonstration of different disabilities by CSUF, Understanding the rights of Students with Disabilities by the Office of Clients Rights & Advocacy, among others. Tickets for the Conference are available now. Click here.

Our Plan to Expand

The Independent Living Center has begun exploring acquiring a permanent, accessible building. This bold plan will assist the agency move forward in achieving our vision to promote positive change in society leading to the integration and acceptance of persons with disabilities within our community.

How you can Help

The Independent Living Center is committed to managing the funds we've been given with integrity. We're proud to have earned a Gold Seal for transparency from Candid, an organization that monitors fiscal responsibility for non profit organizations. We have also earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. We take the privilege of stewarding public and private resources seriously.

The Independent Living Center of Kern County receives funding from a variety of grants and contracts, most of which comes from governmental sources. This funding comes with limitations on how the funds are spent. Give Big Kern provides much needed unrestricted funding for programs and services that help our consumers. Examples include programs monies to pay for things like food for attendees of meetings and trainings, gift cards for consumers that attend our groups and classes, purchasing a mattress for individuals who are living independently and have no other resources to buy essentials, and repairing equipment like wheelchairs, rollators, and scooters so they can be used by individuals with disabilities.

The funds you donate may be designated to support our programs and services or acquire a permanent, accessible building.