Independent living: from social movement to analytic paradigm

Abstract

Independent Living (IL) is more than a social movement; it is also an analytic paradigm that is re shaping the thinking of rehabilitation professionals and researchers alike. The IL paradigm is contrasted with the rehabilitation paradigm that has dominated disability policy, practice, and research. This article analyzes how the shift from the rehabilitation to the IL paradigm is likely to affect the future of disability research. To gain an appreciation for the IL paradigm, the article first evaluates independent living as a social movement in terms of the movement's constituency, origins, and its relationship to other social movements.