ABSTRACT
The term ‘independent living’ refers to all disabled people having the same choices, control and freedom as any other citizen – at home, at work and as members of the community. Writing in the late 1980s Brisenden noted that this does not necessarily mean that any practical assistance required should be under the control of disabled individuals but that ‘independence is created by having assistance when and how one requires it’ (1989: 9). The Independent Living Movement is, therefore, based on four key assumptions:
That all human life is of value.
That anyone, whatever their impairment, is capable of exercising choices.
That people are disabled by society’s reaction to physical, intellectual and sensory impairment and to emotional distress have the right to assert control over their lives.
That disabled people have the right to fully participate in society.
(Morris 1993: 21)