Section 701 of Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act starts out with the purpose of Independent Living.
“The purpose of this chapter is to promote a philosophy of independent living, including a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and system advocacy, in order to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society…”
“Philosophy” translated literally from the Greek, means a love of wisdom. The Oxford Dictionaries define it as “the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. ”
So the “fundamental nature” of Independent Living is “a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and system advocacy”.
These items go beyond the services a Center for Independent Living (CIL) is supposed to provide. (Although two of them are also listed as core services.) These items describe who or what a CIL is at its basic, fundamental core. ALL of these beliefs and passions must be in place for your CIL to truly show the Independent Living Philosophy to the rest of the world.
- Consumer control. Set aside the numbers for a moment — the more than 50% requirement and how to apply it. Think about this as a fundamental element of every Center or Council involved in Independent Living. This is something that should be evident to the world outside of Independent Living. That consumers — people with significant disabilities — are in control of our Centers and Councils is at the heart of who we are.
- Peer support. Peer support can only happen when consumer control is a foundation of your IL organization. That is who the peers are, after all. Consumers. And unless your CIL is full of people who are themselves consumers, there will be no peers to support one another. In my opinion a staff-run support group is NOT peer support as it was intended by our founders.
- Self-help and self-determination. Staff must not assess people to see what they need and then tell them what they must do about it. That is a service delivery model that is not Independent Living. Staff should themselves be consumers and should assist the person seeking services or seeking life in the community to determine for themselves what they want to change, and to themselves do the work of change. Staff are peer support, and may assist with information and connections in the community, but they do not do everything for an individual.
- Equal access. It has long been our assertion in Independent Living that, given equal access, people with disabilities can be fully integrated, fully included, full members of the mainstream of American society. Assuring equal access starts with the basics of knowing the law — the ADA especially but not exclusively — and then confronting the barriers that keep life UNequal and advocate for their removal. While this is not necessarily provision of a service, it is acting on a philosophy that is at the heart of Independent Living.
- Individual and System Advocacy. Advocacy is a tool to achieve equal access. When the person experiencing the inequality, individually or with peers, tackles that inequality and demands change, advocacy is taking place. This is one of the fundamental characteristics of a Center for Independent Living, whether or not it is written into the Consumer Service Records of those receiving IL services.
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I was recently working with a therapist at our community hospital learning to use my power scooter safely. The Therapist and I discovered that not a single bathroom was accessible to someone in a power wheelchair or scooter and assistance would have to be given for an individuals to use the restroom.
This is a great place to apply IL history and philosophy. Empowerment = take responsibility for the problems you encounter and Self-advocacy = solve the problem for yourself and others.
There are no scenarios in which IL Centers can be accountable for accessibility issues, discrimination in education and employment or inclusion in public accommodations. As individuals who experience inequality and exclusion, we must be active in the change we seek.
CILs weren’t created to be the voice of the disability community; they were created to give the disabled the power to speak and act for themselves. The power is derived from peer support and acquiring the knowledge and tools to advocate on our own behalf.
The IL model of service delivery is rooted in community organizing, a grassroots movement using the people with problem to define a strategy to solve the problem. Organizing is the disability community working together to change mainstream society’s inclination, to either exclude or exploit us. IL as a philosophy creates a sense of belonging for people who can be isolated and treated as powerless.
The inherent power of belonging to the disability community is the foundation for us as individuals to make our own decisions and to define our own lives in the communities we choose. IL = Empowerment = self-help, self-determination, self-advocacy.
Thank you, Paula for keeping IL principles and values at the fore in our dialogue. Philosophy serves us best when it is a dynamic force, present and examined routinely. I wrote earlier this year about the power of IL philosophy; I’ll attach a link to continue this very important conversation. https://peeractionalliance.com/2015/10/27/self-evident-truths-of-independent-living-philosophy/