Why Independent Living Centers Exist
The Independent Living Movement is founded on the belief that all people with disabilities, regardless of their disability, have a common history and struggle. The movement seeks to extend the civil, human, social, and economic rights of people with disabilities.
Independent Living Centers (ILCs) are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations run and controlled by persons with disabilities. ILCs are non-residential, community-based centers where people with disabilities can receive assistance with a variety of daily living issues. Through peer support and mutual mentoring, disabled people learn and take action on aspects of independent life, whether it be with housing, employment or social engagement.
Independent living is based on a "social/independent living model of disability," rather than a "medical model." The social model of disability explains that the barriers to equality and access for disabled people exists in the environment, not the individual. People with disabilities don't need to change; society and the environment need to change. Challenging the medical model, the social model also states that individuals with disabilities are not necessarily "sick." They do not always require help from medical professionals to exist to their fullest potential in daily life.
ILCs are founded on the principle of peer support. The example of a peer, someone who has been in a similar situation, can be more powerful than a non-disabled professional's interventions to assist in analyzing one's situation, assuming responsibility for one's life, and developing coping strategies. With peer support, all of us, including persons with extensive physical, emotional, or developmental disabilities, can learn to take more initiative and control over their lives. For example, peer support is used in Independent Living Skills classes, where people living with their families or in institutions learn how to run their everyday lives, in preparation for living on their own.
To reinforce this philosophy of peer support and the belief that someone who has lived a similar experience can be a powerful catalyst for self-empowerment, the Rehabilitation Act of 1978 requires that 51% of an ILC’s board and staff to be disabled.
Independent living is in direct contrast to the dependence created by institutionalization. In institutional settings, people with disabilities are segregated from the rest of the community, treated as sick or incapacitated, and dismissed as unproductive members of society. The Independent Living Movement rejects these notions and seeks to change societies ableist attitudes and beliefs, which perpetuate such dependence.
The Independent Living philosophy emphasizes choice and consumer control. It creates opportunities for disabled people to manage their own affairs, participate in day-to-day life in their communities, and make their own decisions. Independent Living services maximize a person's ability to live in a self-determined way in an environment of her/his own choosing. ILCs serve people with all types of disabilities.
A few additional guiding principles of the Independent Living philosophy are:
❖ People with disabilities know their needs best.
❖ They can have their needs met most effectively by programs that advocate for the rights and needs of people with disabilities and provide a variety of supportive services.
❖ People with disabilities have the right to expect equal access to social, economic, and political opportunities.
❖ They have the same aspirations as people who do not have disabilities.
❖ People with disabilities must have the choice as to how they are integrated into their community.
❖ They are in the best position to direct, and control, disability-related programs.