num_pages: 80
description: Independent living the opportunity to lead self directed and full lives is a civil right that has been consistently denied to disabled people. Instead, disabled people continue to be marginalised by local authority housing and social services departments thus perpetuating their isolation and segregation from the community. And this situation has worsened. Far from facilitating personal autonomy and empowering disabled people to have access to equality of opportunity, the reverse has happened.In November 1990, a unique conference on Housing, Independent Living and Physically Disabled People was hosted by Shelter, Living Options, the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People and The King's Fund Community Living Development Team.Controlled by disabled people, the conference brought together housing and social services professionals with disabled consumers of their services in order to prompt a real dialogue about shortcomings in service provision and at the same time demonstrate that change is not only necessary, but also possible.This report is a record of the wealth of knowledge and expertise much of it held by disabled people themselves that was exchanged at the conference. It contains speeches, reports of discussions on various housing options, presentations on design for independent living, and quotes good practice examples where possible. And through it runs the simple disabled people must be centrally involved in the development of policy and practice to further independent living.This report will serve as an important historical document. But more importantly, it is intended as a tool to prompt decision makers and service providers to use the information to facilitate independent living. And act.
language: English
title: Building Our Lives: Housing, Independent Living and Disabled People
titlecomplete: Building Our Lives: Housing, Independent Living and Disabled People
publisher: Shelter