The United Kingdom's Independent Living Movement (ILM) began in the late 1970s as many people in the disability community grew disenchanted with inaccessible services, institutionalization, and treatment as second-class citizens.
How did the British Independent Living Movement begin?
The Independent Living Movement in the UK originated with a small group of people who advocated against the second-class treatment of individuals with disabilities.
As the vibrations of America's ILM echoed across the pond and sparked interest in the UK, many British citizens with disabilities were still battling institutionalization and working to identify paths to independent living and community integration.
Eventually, several founding members of the UK movement took a trip to the USA and absorbed everything they could about the work being done there.
Project 81
The year 1981 was incredibly significant for the UK Independent Living Movement, as fundraising allowed several notable people living with disabilities, such as Vic Finkelstein, Rosalie Wilkins, and John Evans, to travel to the USA to discover the new Independent Living Centers the US was rolling out.
The group was formed at Le Court Residential Cheshire Home in Hampshire, UK, in 1979. They picked ‘Project 81’ as a title because the United Nations (UN) had listed the year as the United Nations International Year for Disabled People.
Most of the things Project 81 did revolved around changing the Government’s attitude towards people living with disabilities and pushing their thinking away from institutions. However, Project 81 also trialed a few different schemes themselves to explore ways in which people living with disabilities could live independently within their communities. One of these schemes was the Grove Road Scheme, which set up an apartment complex for three people with disabilities to live downstairs from two non-disabled people. Part of the arrangement meant that the two non-disabled people assisted those living with disabilities, allowing them to have more freedom. Another of the schemes focused on independent living centers, like those the team had seen in the USA.
Independent Living in the UK
Independent Living Centers in the UK follow the ideals of the Independent Living Movement in the US, which involves people with disabilities being involved in the decisions made about their lives.
Previously, institutions were run by non-disabled people without consulting the people living with disabilities who resided in them.
In the UK, these centers are known as Centers of Independent Living or CILs. They’re now run based on the ‘Eleven Basic Needs,’ which include:
- Housing
- Personal assistance
- Mobility/transport
- Access
- Peer counseling
- Information
- Technical support
- Employment
- Education and training
- Income and benefits
- Advocacy
Some people living with disabilities can’t live independently for many reasons, and the independent living movement prides itself on its CILs as an alternative to simply placing people in institutions. Some of the reasons people end up in institutions include financial issues, lack of family support, or simply just the level of care and support they require.
The Independent Living Movement is a crucial part of disability history. Whether it's in America, Canada, or the UK, it’s still essential to the global disability movement in general.
Learn more about the ILM in the UK.
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