What Actually is Independent Living?

What Actually is Independent Living

by Emily Kibler | January 29, 2024
Many people in and around the disability community are used to hearing the term independent living when discussing services related to people with disabilities. But what actually is independent living?
Misconception
One of the major misconceptions about this term is that independent living is, well, living independently (that is, living alone and being solely responsible for your life and wellbeing). This is not true. No person is an island and there is never shame in getting support from friends, family, and professionals. The important factor is that these individuals are there to support you rather than do for you.
So, what is Independent Living?
Rather than providing just one answer to this question, we opened it up to our staff to provide perspectives about what independent living means to them.

“Independent Living is the freedom to make choices about your life that are inherently given to able bodied people, and the dignity to learn from your choices. IL does not mean living on your own or doing tasks independently, but having access to the small and big decisions and milestones, that another person would have without a disability.”

— Ashley Large, Regional Director

“Independent living means making decisions regarding your own life. It means simple things like deciding when you want to go to bed or what/when you eat. It also means making important decisions about the direction you want for your life such as where you will live, who your friends will be and how you decide you want to connect to your community.”

— Tammy Wade, Community Inclusion Specialist

“Independent living means having the resources to be self-sufficient, making my own decisions regarding my personal circumstances, and being allowed to fully engage with my community. Everyone should have an equitable opportunity to participate in society and choose where and how they live, work, or spend their leisure time.”

— David Bulmer, Community Inclusion Specialist

“To me, Independent Living is living in the community of your choice, in the way that you wish to live in connection with the community around you, with equality and equity.”

— Cris Zamanov, Community Inclusion Specialist

The common theme of all of these statements is that Independent Living is about having a choice over your own life. Below is a table that illustrates how Independent Living differs from common misconceptions:
NOT Independent LivingIndependent Living
Living with friends or family and having no say in decisions made about your life.Living with friends or family to get and give support and work together on decisions.
Living alone and only interacting with the community when a family member or friend allows you to.Intentionally living alone and being empowered to use community resources to interact with the community.
Living in an institution and having every decision made for you, especially if the possibility of leaving the institution is not given to you.Living at an institution that allows you to have input on your own decisions because you decided that the services they provide are beneficial for you.
Unlike other agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living like Alliance of Disability Advocates do not complete tasks for the people we support. Instead, we give them the skills and supports to be able to complete tasks on their own and have agency over their own lives. This is Independent Living.
About the Author
Emily Kibler Headshot
Emily Kibler
Communications & Compliance Director
Alliance of Disability Advocates
Published Thursday, January 29, 2025