Independent Living Movement: what it is and how it transformed society

The Independent Life Movement brings together different struggles for the recognition of functional diversity and for the guarantee of their civil rights. Broadly speaking, the Independent Living Movement subscribes to a social model of disability, where the latter is understood as a situation (not an individual medical condition), where a person interacts with a series of barriers social.

The latter was later articulated with the concept of "functional diversity" which aims to break the traditional association between "diversity" and "lack of capacity". In this article we will a brief review of the history of the Independent Living Movement, paying attention to the repercussions it has had in promoting the quality of life of people with disabilities.

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Independent Living Movement: what it is, beginnings and repercussions

In 1962, the prestigious University of Berkeley in the United States accepted a student with a disability for the first time, specifically in administration and law courses.

His name was Ed Roberts, he had had polio at fourteen. and as a consequence a neuromuscular paralysis, an issue that led him to require a significant need for support. Thanks to the fact that he was able to satisfy this need, in large part due to the support of his mother, Ed Roberts he soon became an important activist and militant for the civil rights of people with disability.

When he began his studies, Ed Roberts had to find a residence that would suit his needs. medical conditions, but he didn't see the need for his room to be turned into a ward. hospital. Given the offer of the director of the health service of the university to allocate a special room at cowell hospital; Ed Roberts agreed, as long as the space was treated as dormitory space and not a medical facility.

The authorities agreed and this set an important precedent for other people who also had some medical condition that they wanted to be treated not only by medicine. Likewise, Ed was gaining participation in other environments, and even helped remodel many of the physical spaces, inside and outside the university, to make them more accessible.

A large community of activists for independent living was then created, who inaugurated, among other things, the first Center for Independent Living (CIL) at the University of Berkeley. Pioneering place in generating more community models to meet the different needs that are typical of human diversity.

Nothing about us, without us

The Independent Life Movement made it visible that understanding disability from the more traditional biomedical model had As a consequence, the interaction with diversity and the provision of social services will be carried out under the same logic. That is to say, under the idea that there is a person who is "sick", who has little autonomy, as well as limited capacities to participate in society. And the latter, society, was left as an external entity and alien to these limitations.

In other words it was favoring the stigmatization of diversity, through stereotypes such as that the person with a disability cannot study, cannot work or cannot take care of themselves; which ultimately resulted in serious limits to access different spheres of social life.

Not only that, but very important research was not being generated to intervene on different vital conditions. But, said investigations and interventions were leaving aside the people with disabilities themselves, that is, their needs, interests, abilities; and everything that defines them beyond a condition that can be explained by medicine.

Then a motto arises that has accompanied the movement, and that has even been transferred to other movements, which is “Nothing about us without us”. At the same time, it was made explicit that an independent life is not a solitary life, that is, that there is a need for interdependence and in many cases there is a significant need for support, but that has to be met without sacrificing the autonomy of the person with a disability.

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Antecedents and other social movements

As we have seen, the Independent Life Movement arose as a reaction to the dehumanization of the process that has historically characterized the traditional medical model. And it also arises as a fight for the need for civil rights and for equal opportunities for social participation.

One of the most immediate antecedents of the Independent Living Movement is that Ed Roberts was admitted to the University of Berkeley two years before that the latter became the cradle of the movement for freedom of expression, which among other things helped to empower different causes.

In the same context there were other struggles for equal opportunities in the United States. Movements for the rights of African-American people were gaining strength, along with the feminist movements. For their part, people with disabilities noted that, as was the case with other minorities, they were denied access to the most basic services and social benefits, for example, education, employment, transportation, housing, etc.

A paradigm shift

From the struggles of the Independent Life Movement, different principles were generated. For example, promoting human and civil rights, mutual aid, empowerment, responsibility for one's own life, the right to take risks and life in community (Lobato, 2018).

Below we summarize the above, taking as reference the document by Shreve, M. (2011).

1. From patients to users

People with disabilities were for the first time considered as users of the services, before as patients, and later as clients, all in line with the transformation in the provision of social services that took place in that context.

The latter helped, little by little, to convey the idea that these people can be active agents in their own situation, as well as in making decisions about the services and products that best suit their needs support.

2. Empowerment and mutual aid groups

The foregoing had the consequence that people with disabilities began to group together and abandon the role of sick people. Mutual aid groups were then created, where the protagonists were people with disabilities, and no longer expert medicine.

Without the latter ceasing to be considered as one more of the supports that are necessary). The latter favored both people with disabilities and professionals to take other positions and Likewise, new specialties more focused on accessibility than on rehabilitation will be created..

3. Impact on institutions

Disabled people made it known that medical and pharmacological intervention is very important, however, it is not enough nor is it necessary in all cases. From here, the care paradigm moved from medicalization to personal assistance, where the person with a disability take a more active role.

In the same sense, especially in the case of people with diagnoses of mental disorders, it became possible to start a process of demedicalization and psychiatric deinstitutionalization, where gradually different violations of human rights that took place in these spaces. From here, the foundations have been laid to generate and promote more community models and less segregationist.

Beyond the United States

The Independent Living Movement soon moved to different contexts. In Europe, for example, it started in the 1980s by British activists who had been in the United States during the development of the movement. From there, different forums have been created in many countries, which have had an important impact on policies and the rights paradigm in relation to functional diversity.

However, and given that not everywhere there are the same resources or the same needs, all of the above has not applied to all contexts. The community model and the rights paradigm coexist with strong processes of stigmatization and segregation of disabilities. Fortunately It is a movement that is still active. and there are many people who have continued working for this to change.

Bibliographic references:

• Lobato, M. (2018) Independent Living Movement. Independent Life Valencian Community. Retrieved June 28, 2018. Available in http://vicoval.org/movimiento-de-vida-independiente/.
• Shreve, M. (2011). The Independent Living Movement: History and Philosophy to Implementation and Practice. Social Chance for the Integration and Inclusion of All People with Disabilities into Society. Retrieved June 28, 2018. Available in http://www.ilru.org/sites/default/files/resources/il_history/IL_Movement.pdf.
• Garcia, a. (2003). The independent living movement. International experiences. Luis Vives Foundation: Madrid.