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Independent Living is living just like everyone else. It is having opportunities to
make decisions that affect one's life, pursuing activities of one's own choosing, limited
only in the same ways that one's non-disabled neighbors are limited. Independent living should not be solely defined in terms of living on one's own, being
employed in a job fitting one's capabilities and interests, or having an active social
life. These are htmlects of living independently. Independent living has to do with self
determination. It is having the right and the opportunity to pursue a course of action.
And, it is having the freedom to learn from one's experiences. Independent Living Centers are an outgrowth of the international civil rights movement
that works against discrimination and for more personal and political power for people
with disabilities. The movement consists of people of all ages with diverse disabilities.
Origins date back to the 1960's. Much of the philosophy has been derived from the American
civil rights movement. The movement consists of an informal network of local organizations which work as
political pressure groups for equal opportunities and provide such services as advocacy,
counseling, peer support, personal assistance and housing referral. In some countries
national coalitions of Independent Living initiatives exist that have gained wide
political recognition. The philosophy of the Independent Living Movement or Disability Rights Movement, as it is known as, is based on the principles of self-determination, self-help and consumer control. The Independent Living Movement is working for anti-discrimination legislation and for services which guarantee us equal opportunities. Statistics support that in all countries disabled people as a group fall below the rest of the population in terms of education, jobs, income, housing, social and political opportunities. The medical model of disability assigns us the helpless and passive patient role in
which we are considered dependent upon the care of others, unable to work, exempt from
normal duties, leading worthless lives. This is apparent by the still common term
"invalid" (Latin for "worthless"). In the traditional rehabilitation process the problem is seen as being within the
individual who is to be normalized and integrated by experts. Who defines
"normal"_ Integration at whose terms_ Instead, the Independent Living Movement
demands self-determination. Disability is not a medical problem but a problem of unequal power and preconceived
attitudes. We are an underprivileged political minority whose second class citizenship
standing can be improved. Pride, political power and far-reaching systemic changes can
alter the scales balance. With the justification that we are sick and unable to care for ourselves many of us are
confined in institutions, deprived of the most basic decisions and opportunities which
other people take for granted. We suffer loss of social skills, self-confidence and
stunted human growth. The Independent Living Movement has amply demonstrated that nobody,
regardless of type and extent of disability, needs to waste his life in an institution, if
provided with the appropriate services in the community. Institutions need not consist of brick and mortar. The Independent Living Movement has shown that many of the services presently provided in the community carry institutional vestiges in that they deprive us of the freedom of choice, prevent us from taking responsibility and keep us in paternalistic dependency. Today many services such as housing, transportation and personal assistance are designed for the needs of the service provider and not the needs of people with disabilities which use the services. As a result, we are forced to use uniform, general solutions which cannot meet our
individual, differing needs. Such services deny our uniqueness as human beings and deprive
us of choices. The Independent Living Movement demands the same range of options and the same degree
of control over our lives that our non-disabled peers enjoy. To this end people with
disabilities need to take as much initiative as possible in designing services that
maximize choice and control by the individual consumer. Choice is the key to Independent
Living. Nobody else can make that choice for us. We are the experts on our lives. Stakeholder involvement in planning of services Traditional disability service providers are organized along diagnostic lines. For each
medical condition there is a separate organization. This emphasizes the sick role and
focuses on what divides us instead of concentrating on our common agenda. Seeing
disability as a medical problem instead of a political problem is supported by service
providers who are often run by non-disabled experts both in elected and staff positions. The Independent Living Movement claims that our organizations can work more effectively towards the goal of full participation and equality when disabled people themselves are in control, since we are the best experts on our needs. We need to demonstrate to the public and to ourselves that we are fully capable of taking our cause in our own hands. Given the high unemployment among disabled people we need the work and training opportunities in our organizations ourselves. Since people with disabilities are part of their respective communities, many of us have internalized society's prejudices against disability. The Independent Living Movement recognizes that our political emancipation must go hand in hand with liberating ourselves from internalized oppression, self-contempt, and low self-confidence. For this purpose the movement has developed its own pedagogy, peer counseling. Peer counseling means to share the fruits of one's experience. In peer counseling
courses and support sessions individuals with disabilities learn from each other the
practical and social skills needed for a self-directed life in the community. The living
example of a person in the same situation with which one can identify oneself is a more
powerful intervention than the advice of the best rehabilitation expert. Peer counseling provides appropriate role models, helps to increase self-reliance and encourages individuals to take charge of their life. No longer are we helpless victims dependent upon other people's charitable attitude. Regardless of type and extent of disability, we all can learn to take more responsibility for ourselves. The Independent Living Movement seeks to empower the individual with the tools to bring about these changes in one's life.
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PAS User Manual Table of
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