Independent Living Center of Kern County

Who We Are 

Independent Living Center of Kern County (ILCKC) celebrates empowerment and 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 independently as possible in order to obtain the best quality of life.

            Our Staff Story

One of our AT staff members is Ian Dowda. Ian is a Bakersfield native who graduated from Ridgeview High School. He then attended and graduated from the Art Institute of California- Los Angeles with a Bachelors of Computer Science degree. Following that, he has gone on to collaborate with several television and commercial companies doing graphic design, visual effects, and motion graphics. Ian has almost 6 years of customer service years under his belt. Approximately 2 years were helping with troubleshooting apple products and 3 years he helped out with technical issues, data entry, and customer service in an office. Ian has been an amazing AT Specialist here at ILCKC for almost 4 years.

In his free time, Ian enjoys spending time with his wife, playing some games, eating some food, and occasionally going out. Ian enjoys helping people and was drawn to ILCKC because of that. He believes that if at the end of the day he was able to help someone who needed it and put a smile on their face then that was a great day.

                                                            Our Consumer Story

We serve people with disabilities to empower them to live as independently as possible. Our vision is to promote positive change in society, leading to the integration and acceptance of persons with disabilities within our community.

Richard Hofferd came to the Independent Living Center of Kern County (ILCKC) after expressing difficulty with using his phone effectively. He had specific challenges such as, setting calendar events for appointments, navigating a phone’s features with the help of a virtual assistant, and staying connected with loved ones through calls and messages.

Our staff understood how vital this tool could be in enhancing his independence and daily living. Goals were clear: build confidence in setting appointments, communicating through text and voice messages, and mastering the use of phone features that would make day-to-day life more manageable.

Over the course of several months (May through August) Richard met regularly with staff, engaging in hands-on, one-on-one training. Each session focused on practical skills: using his phone’s voice assistant to create reminders, send messages, answer calls, and take notes. With each meeting, the Richard made great progress.

By the end of his training, this once-difficult device had become an empowering tool. Richard was now comfortably using his phone to stay on top of medical appointments, communicate easily with family members, and even reach out to friends, something he had not been able to do before.

The transformation was more than just technical, it was personal. Richard expressed heartfelt gratitude to the ILCKC team, saying the support he received gave him more than knowledge; it gave him confidence and independence.

 

Our current programs and services include

• Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Services
• Aging & Disability Resources Connection (ADRC)
• Assistive Technology (AT) Services
• Personal Assistance Services (PAS)
• Housing Resources & Services
• Deaf & Hard of Hearing (HOH) Services
• Peer Support
• Advocacy & Systems Change
• Information and Referral (I/R)
• Transitions Program
• Independent Living Skills

Who We Are

Since 1981, Independent Living Center of Kern County (ILCKC) has empowered people with disabilities to grow creatively, professionally, and personally; and educates the community about disability-related issues.

ILCKC promotes positive change in society leading to the integration and acceptance of persons with disabilities in Kern County.

Sixty-five percent of ILCKC staff has a disability allowing for a peer-mentoring with clients. These staff members may not have the same disability as the client they meet, but they understand through personal experience challenges and/or barriers which enables staff to understand clients' needs.