"...the folk heroes of disability and chronic disease have not been the millions who came to terms with their problems but those few who were so successful that they passed: the polio victim who broke track records, the one-legged pitcher who played major league baseball, the great composer who was deaf, the famous singer who had a colostomy. They were all so successful that no one knew of their disability, and therein lay their glory." (Zola, MISSING PIECES, 204)
“Independent Living is the emancipatory philosophy and practice which
empowers disabled people and enables them to exert influence, choice
and control in every aspect of their life.”
Lots of people have made definitions of independent living. They all
focus on a few key concepts: choice, control, freedom, equality.
One aim of independent living is to equalise the opportunities available
to disabled people. Philip Mason expresses it as an ideal:
För dig som på grund av fysisk eller psykisk funktionsnedsättning behöver vård, stöd eller behandling hemma under en period som överstiger tre månader finns två lösningar: antingen kan du få i natura tjänster eller en egen budget för vård och ordna vård/assistans själv.
If, as a result of a physical or mental disability, you need nursing, care, counselling, support or treatment for longer than three months at home, there are two solutions: help in kind, or the Client Linked Budget.
Allt fler länder stiftar lagar mot diskriminering av funktionshindrade. På konferensen presenteras erfarenheter från flera länder. Den traditionella svenska handikappolitiken har varit inriktad mot individuellt stöd och att kompensera brister genom särlösningar.
