RCD CAP Project - 2012-2013 - What is IL Philosophy?

What is IL Philosophy?

The independence living is a learning way for the life without the dependence for people with disability which use different way. It is also the rights of the people with disability and a looking way between the disability and society.

Otherwise, if there is no independence living in the countries, the people with disability in the countries will live difficultly. For example, in Taiwan, the government is giving New Taiwan Dollar 5000 (Canadian Dollar 166) for allowance of the one hearing aid, but in the international market of the hearing aid, the price is United States Dollars 1250. The people with hearing disability in Taiwan are hard to learn the independence living because the family have to buy the hearing aids for them. When some of people with the hearing disability in Taiwan are finding jobs, it is difficult to find them because the employers have to use the sign language with the people with the hearing disability. However, they do not have any time to use the sign language because they are always very rush.

The independence living philosophy is a basic condition that person with disabilities are the best experts on their needs and they must take the individually and collectively in designing better solutions. They also comprise the de-professionalization, self-representation, de-medicalization, de-institutionalization and cross-disability.

In the Independence Living Philosophy, the people with disability are seen as the citizens firstly and as the clients of the health care and social services secondarily. As the citizens in democratic society, they have the same as the rights and freedoms in their life and the life project are taken granted by other citizens as the independence living movement claims.

As the clients of health care and social services, the health care and social services must provide the assistive technology, rehabilitation services, and income assistance. For example, the government of British Columbia currently issues Canadian Dollars 900 as income assistance for each person with disability every month. Microsoft has built-in assistive technology in its products such as Windows and Office.

"Independent Living means that we demand the same choices and control in our every-day lives that our non-disabled brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends take for granted … We are profoundly ordinary people sharing the same need to feel included, recognized and loved." Dr. Adolf Ratzka.