Southwest Center for Independent

Empower: Abilities (formerly SCIL) offers choices and empowerment for people with disabilities and the community in these southwest Missouri counties: Christian, Dallas, Greene, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster. Founded in 1985, SCIL is a private, non-profit organization with a majority of staff and governing board with disabilities. In 2019 SCIL adopted the new name Empower: Abilities, as it reflects the forward growth of the non-profit organization.

Empower: Abilities (formerly SCIL) serves all persons with disabilities regardless of sex, age, race, income or disability type. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A disability can be physical, mental, emotional, cognitive or sensory as well as permanent or temporary.

Our main office in Springfield and Branson branch serve a population base of 542,475 people and in the Empower: Abilities service area, approximately or over 75,000 people are estimated to have at least one disability. The third largest city in the state, Springfield is the urban medial and shopping hub for the mainly rural southwest Missouri area and these differences make our efforts unique and challenging due to the wide range of needs for access to adequate housing, transportation, technology, health & wellness and employment. The number of people with disabilities, as well as, the barriers to living an independent and healthy lifestyle continues to grow.

We work to achieve positive change in the community, state or nation for today and tomorrow through four core services: Systems and Individual Advocacy, Information and Referral, Peer Support and Independent Living Skills Training. Programs offered at no charge to consumers include Renovation And Modifications ProjectS (RAMPS), Assisting Consumers Through Technology (ACTT), Community Education, Support Groups, Youth Services, Transportation, Access Information and Benefit Counseling. In addition, SCIL offers two state approved personal care programs; Consumer Directed Services (CDS), In-Home Services, which allow people with disabilities to obtain assistance with personal care and daily living, while maintaining independence in their own homes.

Empower: Abilities (formerly SCIL) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization. All proceeds benefit persons with disabilities. Visit for more information.