A group of men and women are participating in a fitness session in a large exercise studio with mirrored walls. Everyone is seated, some in wheelchairs and some in banquet chairs.

Rhode Island's Go-To Agency for Disability Services, Resources and Information

OSCIL is Rhode Island's
Center for Independent Living

The Independent Living Philosophy advocates for the rights and dignity of people with disabilities, emphasizing their autonomy, self-determination, and full inclusion in society. It seeks to remove barriers and provide support services that enable individuals with disabilities to lead independent lives, make their own choices, and participate actively in all aspects of life. As Rhode Island's sole Independent Living Center, OSCIL is ready to help all Rhode Islanders of any age with any disability live their best lives.

Contact Deaf Services

Our Mission

The Ocean State Center for Independent Living provides a range of Independent Living Services to enhance, through self-direction, the quality of life of persons with disabilities and to promote integration into the community.

What is Independent Living?

Independent Living is:

For people of all ages
For people with any type of disability
Community-based
Self-directed
Freedom
Empowerment
Inclusion

Learn More About Independent Living

Independent Living is not:

Not a residential facility
Not a case-management provider
Not a rep-payee
Not a day program
Not a medical facility
Not a state agency
Not an emergency service

You guys at OSCIL do a great job and the staff comes up with great ideas! Just love you guys!

I can get to and from my bedroom independently with the lift and got my privacy back!

The services provided allowed me to continue living independently in my own home and not in a nursing home!

This agency is amazing - so helpful and has made a big improvement in my self-care, being able to take showers more easily due to the tub cut out!

My husband, who recently passed away, was fortunate to have OSCIL come to our home and make everything handicap accessible including a ramp. We could never have had the financial ability to do so for ourselves. I will always be grateful to OSCIL for giving Jim the freedom he had these last years.

Wow, what a difference hearing in stereo makes!

It’s really helped reduce my stress. I was so grateful to have one hearing aid, but I had to be careful with how I went about my daily life. When you came to my place to explain your organization, I made sure you sat in a chair to my left, so my left hearing aid was facing you. If I had you on my right side, without the hearing aid, I couldn’t always understand what you were saying. I could hear when someone spoke, but my brain couldn’t always catch the words because the volume was too low. [...] My nephew is a brand-new 14-year-old. Since he was five, the only thing he ever wanted was to see the Christmas Carol at Trinity Repertory each year. I used to dread it. I had to buy tickets not for a good view, but for the best speakers and acoustics. This will be the first year I’ve had hearing aids, so no more stressing in any situation where I sit.

Calling the program the “Gift of Hearing” is so fitting. I can’t thank you and OSCIL enough for the gift you’ve given me. Thank you all so much!