History

Becoming Independent and its various programs are the culmination of efforts on behalf of people with disabilities that began in the 1960s here in Sonoma County and in Sacramento. In 1967, a group of parents organized the first community-based adult program in Sonoma County called the Manual Skills Training Center. Two years later in 1969, the State Legislature passed the Lanterman Act which affirmed that people with disabilities had the same rights as all other people and that it is the responsibility of government to ensure that those rights are achieved. The Lanterman Act set the stage for the establishment of community-based support services to assist and advocate for people with disabilities.

Over the next decade additional support programs were established in Sonoma County to provide adult activities, independent living support services, and to advocate for people with disabilities. Finally in January 1980 this group of programs incorporated under the name of Becoming Independent and within a few years expanded to provide services in Napa and Solano counties and to include a jobs program. With this basic framework, BI evolved into the organization it is today.