Independent Living and the family: the context of Costa Rica and Sweden

[Excerpt] Independent Living is a philosophy and a movement of people with disabilities that works for equal opportunities, self-respect and self-determination. Independent Living does not mean that we do not need anybody, that we want to live in isolation. Independent Living means that we want the same control and the same choices in every-day life that our non-disabled brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends take for granted. We want to grow up in our families, go to the neighborhood school, use the same bus, work in jobs that are in line with our education and abilities. Most importantly, just like everybody else, we need to be in charge of our own lives, think and speak for ourselves. In my contribution to this congress I will address three topics that are intimately linked to the concept of Independent Living: society\u27s present view of disability and sexuality; the tendency to place persons with disabilities in institutions; and, thirdly, ways to support disabled people to live in the community rather than in institutions

Model National Personal Assistance Policy

[Excerpt] Social policy is rarely made by the people whose lives depend on it. For that reason we often see legislation, programs and practices that make people with disabilities more dependent rather than more independent. In most countries, policies or lack of policies drive people who need help of others in the activities of daily living into dependence on their families or exclude them from the life of the community by forcing them to live in segregated residential facilities or to stay in their parental homes beyond the customary age. The piece of policy suggested here is different, because it is written by individuals who themselves depend on the daily assistance by other persons. The European Center for Excellence in Personal Assistance, ECEPA (www.ecepa.org) consists of eight partner organizations (1) in eight European countries that are run and controlled by persons with disabilities and specialize in the provision of and advocacy for personal assistance services for persons with extensive disabilities. Using our combined personal experience with personal assistance policies a list of features was compiled for a policy that is to promote self-determination and full citizenship for persons with extensive disabilities

The Prerequisites for Independent Living

[Excerpt] Independent Living is a term that was coined in the 1960s by the American disability movement. Today it has become a buzz word frequently used and abused by consumers and professionals alike. In its most common connotation it refers to living in the community as opposed to living in an institution. But Independent Living is also an attitude, an ideology, and a social and political international movement

From patient to customer: Direct payments for assistive technology for disabled people’s self-determination

[Excerpt] The author, AT user and activist in the Independent Living movement, claiming that direct payments for AT result in better quality and cost-efficiency than services in kind, suggests a pilot project to test the hypothesis. Plenary paper presented at the 7th European Conference for the Advancement of Assistive Technology, “Shaping the Future”, Dublin, Ireland, August 31st – 3rd September 2003

Independent Living for people with disabilities: from patient to citizen and customer

[Excerpt] I want to suggest that differences in the attitudinal and material conditions determine disabled peoples’ life opportunities, how dependent or independent we can become. I am not claiming that anyone – disabled or non-disabled - can be completely independent. As human beings we all are inter-dependent on each other. My point is that persons with the exact same disabilities can have completely different lives depending on where they live. In some countries there are policies and attitudes that allow us to develop and follow our interests, get education and work, meet friends, marry and have children. In other countries, we may be confined to living in institutions, with little contact with the outside world, with no or only simple work

Independent Living and Attendant care in Sweden: A Consumer Perspective

[Excerpt] One of the main aims of the growing Independent Living Movement , the international civil rights movement of people with disabilities, has been to gain control over the services that are necessary for participating in society on equal terms. Of these services attendant care has been identified by the movement as perhaps the most critical prerequisite for a dignified and productive life for persons with severe disabilities

The Prerequisites for De-Institutionalization

[Excerpt] One of the main prerequisites of de-institutionalization for physically disabled people is an effective housing policy. A policy that entails non- discriminatory public works programs, non-discriminatory housing subsidies and non-discriminatory building codes. Non-discriminatory public works programs make sure that in all new construction which is financed and undertaken by any municipal, regional or state government agency barrier-free or universal design principles are enforced. This instrument does not require legislative changes. If the Regional Government of Tenerife, for example, were serious about accessibility in residential construction, they could start already tomorrow by including non-discrimination clauses together with operational definitions of accessibility in their procurement contracts; no bidder would receive a contract without guaranteeing full accessibility of the finished structures

Checklist for Organizing Independent Living Events

[Excerpt] In this checklist the author covers the steps of planning, event format, event contents and media work which are crucial to the success of a workshop, training session, seminar or conference on Independent Living. The notes are intended to serve as a checklist for planning training sessions, seminars, workshops or conferences on Independent Living