Independence, Inc., a Resource Center for Independent Living

Independence, Inc., a Resource Center for Independent Living To advocate for the freedom of choice for individuals with disabilities to live independently through the removal of all barriers.

09/08/2026

๐Ÿ’š ๐™‹๐™š๐™š๐™ง ๐™จ๐™ช๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™จ๐™ฃ'๐™ฉ ๐™Ÿ๐™ช๐™จ๐™ฉ ๐™จ๐™ค๐™ข๐™š๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ฌ๐™š ๐™ค๐™›๐™›๐™š๐™ง. ๐™„๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ฉ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ฌ๐™๐™ค ๐™ฌ๐™š ๐™–๐™ง๐™š.

Independence, Inc. is a peer-led organization. In fact, more than half of our staff and Board of Directors are people with disabilities. That lived experience helps shape how we serve, advocate, connect, and lead.

Peer Support brings that philosophy to life by creating opportunities for people with disabilities to connect, share experiences, build relationships, and learn from one another.

Check out our latest service video to see what Peer Support looks like at Independence, Inc. ๐Ÿ’š

๐Ÿ“… Want to join us? Our Peer Support Group meets every other Wednesday at 3 PM. We'd love to have you!

๐Ÿ“ž Learn more: 701-839-4724

๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch our full service video series: https://www.independencecil.org/our-services-videos

Labor Day is about more than a long weekend. It is a day to recognize the contributions workers have made to our country...
09/07/2026

Labor Day is about more than a long weekend. It is a day to recognize the contributions workers have made to our country and the role that work plays in our lives and communities.

At Independence, Inc., we believe people with disabilities belong in that conversation.

We believe employment should be the first and preferred outcome for people with disabilities. A job is more than a paycheck. Employment creates economic opportunity, builds relationships, connects people to their communities, and provides opportunities that social programs simply cannot replace.

North Dakota has one of the highest employment rates for people with disabilities in the country. We are proud of that. But we also know the employment rate for people with disabilities is still unacceptably low.

There is more work to do.

We will continue working to make sure people with disabilities have the opportunity to work and that North Dakota employers recognize people with disabilities as an important part of the solution to our state's workforce needs.
This Labor Day, we celebrate all workers and the contributions they make every day.

Independence, Inc. will be closed Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.

A little creativity and a few positive words can go a long way! ๐Ÿ’™Join us for our next Peer Support gathering at Oak Park...
09/05/2026

A little creativity and a few positive words can go a long way! ๐Ÿ’™

Join us for our next Peer Support gathering at Oak Park. Weโ€™ll spend the afternoon painting rocks with encouraging words and positive messages while connecting and enjoying time together.

๐Ÿ“… Wednesday, September 9
โฐ 3:00 PM
๐Ÿ“ Oak Park
1300 4th Ave. NW, Minot, ND 58703

This event is open to anyone with a disability, ages 18 and older. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please call our office to request it in advance.

We hope youโ€™ll join us!

๐“๐ก๐ž๐ฒโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ!๐Ÿ“šThis week, Mo and Tia are back in area high schools, working with students with disabilit...
09/04/2026

๐“๐ก๐ž๐ฒโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ!๐Ÿ“š

This week, Mo and Tia are back in area high schools, working with students with disabilities to build real-world skills for life after graduation through our BEYOND program.

From communication and self-advocacy to employment and independent living, itโ€™s all about building skills, confidence, and preparing for what comes next.

Hereโ€™s to a great school year! ๐Ÿ’š๐ŸŽ’

โ€œ๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’‡๐’–๐’”๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’๐’†๐’• ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’ƒ๐’‚๐’… ๐’Œ๐’†๐’†๐’‘ ๐’Ž๐’† ๐’…๐’๐’˜๐’.โ€Those words capture the strength and determination of one woman who came to Indep...
09/03/2026

โ€œ๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’‡๐’–๐’”๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’๐’†๐’• ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’ƒ๐’‚๐’… ๐’Œ๐’†๐’†๐’‘ ๐’Ž๐’† ๐’…๐’๐’˜๐’.โ€

Those words capture the strength and determination of one woman who came to Independence, Inc. during a time when her life felt completely out of control.

She had always been independent. Growing up, she faced difficult circumstances that required her to become strong and resilient at a young age. As an adult, she enjoyed traveling and experiencing new places. But when she arrived in Minot to be closer to her daughter, her life did not unfold as she had hoped.

โ€œ๐‘ด๐’š ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’๐’… ๐’˜๐’‚๐’” ๐’–๐’‘๐’”๐’Š๐’…๐’† ๐’…๐’๐’˜๐’ ๐’…๐’–๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’Ž๐’š ๐’…๐’‚๐’–๐’ˆ๐’‰๐’•๐’†๐’“, ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’š๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’˜๐’‚๐’” ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’”,โ€ she said. โ€œ๐‘ฐ ๐’˜๐’‚๐’” ๐’–๐’๐’”๐’–๐’“๐’† ๐’˜๐’‰๐’†๐’“๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’“๐’• ๐’Š๐’ ๐’๐’“๐’…๐’†๐’“ ๐’•๐’ ๐’ˆ๐’†๐’• ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ๐’” ๐’•๐’ ๐’‡๐’†๐’†๐’ ๐’๐’†๐’”๐’” ๐’๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’˜๐’‰๐’†๐’๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ.โ€

She wanted to feel in control of her life again, but even knowing where to begin felt difficult. Managing appointments, finances, transportation, relationships, and everyday responsibilities had become overwhelming. Most of all, she needed help learning how to do things independently again.

That support came through Independence, Inc., where she connected with Peer Support Specialist Shawna.

โ€œ๐‘ฐ ๐’…๐’๐’โ€™๐’• ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’Œ ๐‘ฐ ๐’„๐’๐’–๐’๐’… ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“ ๐’‡๐’Š๐’๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’‘๐’†๐’“๐’‡๐’†๐’„๐’• ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’… ๐’•๐’ ๐’…๐’†๐’”๐’„๐’“๐’Š๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’‹๐’–๐’”๐’• ๐’‰๐’๐’˜ ๐’‚๐’Ž๐’‚๐’›๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’”๐’‰๐’† ๐’Š๐’”,โ€ she said. โ€œ๐‘บ๐’‰๐’† ๐’‰๐’‚๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’†๐’ ๐’Ž๐’š ๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’†๐’.โ€

The connection was immediate. She felt comfortable asking for help from the very beginning and quickly recognized that her Peer Support Specialist genuinely cared about her well-being.

โ€œ๐‘บ๐’‰๐’† ๐’˜๐’‚๐’” ๐’‚๐’๐’˜๐’‚๐’š๐’” ๐’•๐’‰๐’†๐’“๐’† ๐’˜๐’‰๐’†๐’ ๐‘ฐ ๐’๐’†๐’†๐’…๐’†๐’… ๐’‰๐’†๐’“, ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’…๐’†๐’… ๐’Ž๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’”๐’๐’Ž๐’† ๐’‘๐’†๐’๐’‘๐’๐’† ๐’„๐’‚๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’•๐’“๐’–๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’….โ€

Through Peer Support Services, she learned how to break overwhelming situations into manageable steps and determine what needed her attention first. She also received support through HCBS and TDP services and assistance navigating community resources, including the DMV, Social Security, medical care, and Minotโ€™s public bus system.

โ€œ๐‘ท๐’†๐’†๐’“ ๐‘บ๐’–๐’‘๐’‘๐’๐’“๐’• ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’…๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’ƒ๐’Š๐’ˆ๐’ˆ๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’…๐’Š๐’‡๐’‡๐’†๐’“๐’†๐’๐’„๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’Ž๐’†,โ€ she said. โ€œ๐‘ฐ๐’• ๐’•๐’‚๐’–๐’ˆ๐’‰๐’• ๐’Ž๐’† ๐’‰๐’๐’˜ ๐’•๐’ ๐’‘๐’“๐’Š๐’๐’“๐’Š๐’•๐’Š๐’›๐’† ๐’˜๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’๐’†๐’†๐’…๐’†๐’… ๐’•๐’ ๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’† ๐’‡๐’Š๐’“๐’”๐’• ๐’•๐’ ๐’๐’“๐’ˆ๐’‚๐’๐’Š๐’›๐’† ๐’Ž๐’š ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’•๐’Š๐’„ ๐’๐’Š๐’‡๐’†.โ€

Little by little, the parts of life that once felt unmanageable began to fall into place. Today, she feels more comfortable attending appointments, managing her finances, using the bus, and handling responsibilities on her own. She has also learned to establish healthier boundaries, especially in relationships that were affecting her happiness and peace.

โ€œ๐‘ฐโ€™๐’—๐’† ๐’๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’†๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐‘ฐโ€™๐’Ž ๐’„๐’‚๐’‘๐’‚๐’ƒ๐’๐’†,โ€ she said. โ€œ๐‘ฐ ๐’„๐’‚๐’ ๐’…๐’ ๐’˜๐’‰๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“ ๐‘ฐ ๐’๐’†๐’†๐’… ๐’๐’“ ๐’˜๐’‚๐’๐’• ๐’•๐’ ๐’…๐’ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’Ž๐’š ๐’๐’Š๐’‡๐’†. ๐‘ฐ ๐’๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’†๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐‘ฐ ๐’๐’†๐’†๐’… ๐’•๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’–๐’๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’‘๐’†๐’๐’‘๐’๐’† ๐’˜๐’‰๐’ ๐’๐’๐’—๐’† ๐’Ž๐’†, ๐’”๐’–๐’‘๐’‘๐’๐’“๐’• ๐’Ž๐’†, ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’‚๐’„๐’•๐’–๐’‚๐’๐’๐’š ๐’˜๐’‚๐’๐’• ๐’•๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’–๐’๐’… ๐’Ž๐’†.โ€

Her growing confidence is now carrying her into the next chapter of her life. She made the difficult decision to leave Minot and move closer to her sister, recognizing that her happiness mattered more than holding on to unhealthy relationships.

The journey begins with a major step. She is boarding a plane and flying to her sister on her own.

โ€œ๐‘ฌ๐’—๐’†๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’๐’–๐’ˆ๐’‰ ๐‘ฐโ€™๐’Ž ๐’”๐’„๐’‚๐’“๐’†๐’…, ๐‘ฐ ๐’‚๐’Ž ๐’‚๐’ƒ๐’๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’ˆ๐’†๐’• ๐’๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’‘๐’๐’‚๐’๐’† ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’‡๐’๐’š ๐’•๐’ ๐’Ž๐’š ๐’”๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’“,โ€ she said. โ€œ๐‘พ๐’Š๐’•๐’‰๐’๐’–๐’• ๐’Ž๐’š ๐‘ท๐’†๐’†๐’“ ๐‘บ๐’–๐’‘๐’‘๐’๐’“๐’• ๐‘บ๐’‘๐’†๐’„๐’Š๐’‚๐’๐’Š๐’”๐’• ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’•๐’‰๐’†๐’“๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’‰๐’†๐’๐’‘ ๐’Ž๐’† ๐’–๐’๐’…๐’†๐’“๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ๐’” ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’“๐’†๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’… ๐’Ž๐’† ๐‘ฐ ๐’‚๐’Ž ๐’„๐’‚๐’‘๐’‚๐’ƒ๐’๐’†, ๐‘ฐโ€™๐’… ๐’”๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’”๐’•๐’“๐’–๐’ˆ๐’ˆ๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ.โ€

Her next goal is to move into an apartment of her own. It is more than a place to live. It represents the stability, confidence, and independence she has worked so hard to rebuild.

When asked what Independence, Inc. means to her, her answer was simple:

โ€œ๐‘จ ๐’ƒ๐’๐’†๐’”๐’”๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ. ๐‘ป๐’‰๐’†๐’š ๐’•๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’‚ ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’„๐’† ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’๐’Š๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’Š๐’ ๐’Ž๐’†.โ€

Now, she believes in herself, too.

For anyone who needs support but feels unsure about reaching out, she has a message:

โ€œ๐‘ซ๐’ ๐’Š๐’•. ๐’€๐’๐’– ๐’˜๐’๐’โ€™๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’ˆ๐’“๐’†๐’• ๐’Š๐’•, ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’Š๐’• ๐’˜๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’๐’Š๐’‡๐’†.โ€

As we prepare to launch our next round of the Community Leadership Academy, we thought it was important to talk about on...
09/02/2026

As we prepare to launch our next round of the Community Leadership Academy, we thought it was important to talk about one of our core values as a Center for Independent Living: why we reject tokenism and believe in real engagement by people with lived experience in the communities where they live, work, and play.

Tokenism happens when someone is included mainly to create the appearance of inclusion, without being given meaningful influence, authority, or a real voice in decisions. That is the opposite of Independent Living and the values that guide our work.

We believe people with disabilities bring unique experiences, perspectives, and ideas to the table. When those voices are genuinely part of the community conversation, our communities are stronger, our decisions are better, and real change becomes possible.

๐–๐žโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ.

Our 6-Week Community Leadership Academy is for people with disabilities who want to build confidence, strengthen their voice, and learn how they can have a say in the decisions being made in their communities.

Youโ€™ll learn practical leadership skills and how to get involved with boards, committees, commissions, and community organizations.

๐Ÿ“… Tuesdays beginning September 15
๐Ÿ•‘ 2โ€“4 PM
๐Ÿ“ Independence, Inc.

Think this could be you? Apply!

And if you know someone else who would be perfect, encourage them to apply!

๐Ÿ‘‡ Application link in the comments.

๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿด Weโ€™re still not over this night!Seeing these photos from the very first Minot's Best Bites brings all that energy rig...
09/01/2026

๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿด Weโ€™re still not over this night!

Seeing these photos from the very first Minot's Best Bites brings all that energy right back.

Weโ€™re incredibly proud to have been part of bringing this event to life and even more grateful for the support this event generated for the work we do at Independence, Inc.

Thank you again to Aspire Credit Union, every participating restaurant, and this incredible community for making the first year one we wonโ€™t soon forget.

We have a feeling this is only the beginning. ๐Ÿ’™

๐Ÿ“ข Weโ€™re Hiring: Assistant Program Director!Independence, Inc. is looking for a passionate leader to help guide our Money...
08/28/2026

๐Ÿ“ข Weโ€™re Hiring: Assistant Program Director!

Independence, Inc. is looking for a passionate leader to help guide our Money Follows the Person (MFP) and Transition & Diversion Services Program (TDP) team.

This position supervises and supports staff while also staying connected to the work, helping people with disabilities transition out of institutions, prevent unnecessary institutionalization, find community-based solutions, and build successful lives in their own homes.

Weโ€™re looking for someone who understands disability advocacy, can lead and develop a team, and believes strongly that people with disabilities have the right to make their own choices and direct their own lives.

๐Ÿ“ Full-Time | Minot, ND

Learn more about the position and how to apply:
https://www.independencecil.org/copy-of-available-positions

Removing Barriers. Achieving Dreams.

08/28/2026

WOW, MINOT. ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿด

Last night was something special.

The turnout for the very first Minot's Best Bites absolutely blew us away. Citizens Alley was packed, the music was incredible, the energy was amazing, and seeing SO many people come out to support our local restaurants and our mission at Independence, Inc. was truly incredible.

We are so grateful to Aspire Credit Union for bringing Minotโ€™s Best Bites to our community and for inviting Independence, Inc. to be part of making it happen. Collaborating with Aspire and having our mission benefit from every bite made this event incredibly special to us. So much time, energy, and heart went into bringing it all together, and WOW, did our community show up! โค๏ธ

Every bite made a difference, with $1 from every tasting ticket going directly toward our mission of helping people with disabilities live independently in our communities.

Before the festivities began, we had the opportunity to officially kick things off with the Minot Area Chamber EDC Ambassadors. Looking back at this ribbon-cutting moment and knowing what an incredible night was about to unfold makes it even more special.

To the restaurants who served up some AMAZING bites, the partners, volunteers, DJ, and every single person who came out and supported this event: THANK YOU. ๐Ÿ’™

What a night. What a community. What an incredible first Minotโ€™s Best Bites! ๐Ÿด๐ŸŽ‰

Address

315 3rd Avenue SW
Minot, ND
58701

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+17018394724

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Independence, Inc., a Resource Center for Independent Living posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Independence, Inc., a Resource Center for Independent Living:

Shortcuts

Share