Many disabled people have a desire to live as independently as possible. We want to maintain control over our spaces, our possessions, and how we live our daily lives. And not just control for control's sake. Independent living is not just about control. It is about maintaining a degree of autonomy and self-determination: two things that are often most at risk for being infringed upon because of our disabilities.

I vividly remember being six or seven years old, having just come home from one of my back surgeries, and all I could wait to do was tidy and organize my bedroom. Rearranging my toys, making room for the new stuffed animals I got as get-well presents, displaying my knick-knacks on my night-stand in just such a way that everything had its place. Sure, my back was sore, but that wasn't stopping me. I loved what I was doing.