Independent living and family support

What is independent living?

Independent living is about disabled people having choice and control over the support that they need to live and take part in all aspects of life.

Independent living means different things to different people, but a shared understanding of independent living is important if services are to be shaped to deliver the right support. Equality 2025 is interested in promoting this shared understanding of independent living across government.

There are four principles behind independent living:

• equality of human life
• people making their own choices
• a right to exercise control
• a right to participate in society

The Disability Rights Commission has defined independent living as referring 'to all disabled people having the same choice, control and freedom as any other citizen - at home, at work, and as members of the community. This does not necessarily mean disabled people 'doing everything for themselves', but it does mean that any practical assistance people need should be based on their own choices and aspirations'.

Equality 2025 and independent living

Equality 2025 recognises that a wide range of people need support to access independent living. It is not just about having choice and empowerment in personal care. For deaf people and those with communication impairments, independent living is about interpreter and/or communication support. For people with mental health support needs, advocacy is a vital component of independent living. People with learning disabilities stress self-advocacy, to 'speak up for themselves'.

Why independent living as a focus?

The Government's plan for supporting disabled people to have equal lives is called 'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People'. It talks a lot about both independent living for disabled people, and supporting families of disabled children and young people, as ways of creating better chances in life for disabled people. Part of Equality 2025's job is to tell government how disabled people think this plan should be put into practice.

What is Equality 2025's aim?

The long term aim of members is to work with government to provide disabled people with the choice, empowerment and freedom to live independently, throughout their life journey.

• promote the principles and philosophy shared by the independent living movement
• communicate with various organisations that are controlled by disabled people, including seldom heard groups
• to monitor service provision and decision making to see whether the whole range of disabled people's communities are being accommodated
• monitor, advocate and comment on developments towards a rights-based approach to disabled people and their families accessing mainstream service provision

Read about what Equality 2025 is doing on independent living.

Page last reviewed: 11 August 2008