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Independent Living Philosophy
The philosophy of independent living is the belief that each person with a disability is unique and has the same civil rights as people who do not have a disability. IL advocates place emphasis on:
- People with disabilities should be able to live, work, shop and play where they choose within the community.
- In order for people with disabilities to live in the community, instead of a hospital environment, the community has a responsibility to be accessible.
- Expecting equal access to social, economic and political opportunities for people with disabilities can be compared to expecting equal access for ethnic minorities.
- People with disabilities are not sick. A person with a disability may become ill, but disability is not always an illness.
- People with disabilities should not be in a hospital environment, unless they are sick and in need of acute medical care.
- People with disabilities have the same aspirations as people who do not have disabilities.
- People with disabilities do not wish to be described as "very brave" when they are successful, nor do they seek pity in the manner of the "poster child" image.
- People with disabilities know best what their barriers to independence are and what they need in order to live independently and should have a say in what happens in their community that affects them.
Therefore, people with disabilities are in the best position to guide, direct, and control programs for people with disabilities.
