Department of Health

Website of the Department of Health

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Independent living

young man in wheelchair watering plants

Independent living is an important part of enabling disabled people to fulfil the roles and responsibilities of citizenship.

Choice, control and freedom for all disabled people

Independent Living is defined by the Disability Rights Commission 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”.

The importance of Independent Living spans the full range of life experiences faced by disabled people, from early years and transition to adulthood, through to adult life and employment, extending into old age.

Initiatives to progress the independent living agenda

The Department of Health is working on a number of initiatives, some in conjunction with other government departments, to progress the independent living agenda.  These initiatives include:

  • User-led organisations
  • Individual budgets
  • Direct payments
  • Community equipment and wheelchair services project

User-led organisations

User-led organisations are local organisations, run and controlled by disabled people with the aim of promoting independent living through their activities.

Individual budgets

The aim of the individual budgets pilot project is to provide greater choice and control for people needing support, and to place them at the centre of the process.

Direct payments

The White Paper, ‘Our health, our care, our say’, identified direct payments as one of the main ways to foster independence and enable people to take control of their lives.

Community equipment services

Community equipment services play a vital role in enabling disabled people of all ages to maintain their health and independence, and to prevent inappropriate hospital admissions.

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