Our mission is to support persons with disabilities full participation in the rights and responsibilities of society.
Independent Living Philosophy
Support Dog and Owner.
Independent Living Philosophy Page Links:
Consumer Control
Independent Living and Traditional Paradigms
National Council on Independent Living: 10 Principles
PACE and Independent Living Philosophy
The Barriers Concept
Consumer Control
"Consumer Control" is a highly revered and powerful principle of Independent Living.
The concept of consumer control is based on the premise that people who use our services know best what they should be, how they should be structured and delivered.
"Consumer control" is defined as: significant representation, power, authority, and influence of individuals with varying disabilities in all aspects of an organization that provides services to enhance independence and that seeks to change the political, social, and economic environment and quality of life possible for all disabled persons.
Translating consumer control principles into consumer control practices requires the exercise of authority by consumers over the organization itself, the exercise of choice by consumers over the services they receive, and the exercise of influence by the organization in overcoming the community barriers that inhibit its consumer population.
Consumer control practices apply to:
&bull organizational decision-making,
&bull policy development,
&bull planning,
&bull staffing patterns,
&bull service approaches,
&bull volunteer involvement,
&bull approach to the community,
&bull definition of target population,
&bull community advocacy priorities.
Consumer control is achieved and sustained by an organization that maintains the ability to be molded by its constituency. To implement consumer control principles, four areas comprising the full range of center functions and operations need attention: policy making; staffing; services; and community advocacy.
Independent Living and Traditional Paradigms
Please click a link below to view a comparision chart of Independent Living and Traditional Paradigms.
Paradigm Comparison Chart (PDF) Paradigm Comparison Chart (image)National Council on Independent Living:
Ten Principles on Independent Living
1. Civil Rights – equal rights and opportunities for all, no segregation by disability type or stereotype.
2. Consumerism – a person ("consumer" or "customer") using or buying a service or product decides what is best for him/herself.
3. De-institutionalization – no person should be institutionalized (formally by a building program or family) on the basis of disability.
4. De-medicalization – individuals with disabilities are not "sick" as prescribed by the assumptions of the medical model and do not require help from certified medical professionals for daily living.
5. Self-help – people learn and grow from discussing their needs, concerns and issues with people who have had similar experiences; "professionals" are not the source of help.
6. Advocacy – systemic, systematic, long-term, and community-wide change activities are needed to ensure that people with disabilities benefit from all that society has to offer.
7. Barrier-removal – in order for civil rights, consumerism, deinstitutionalization, de-medicalization and self-help to occur, architectural, communication and attitudinal barriers must be removed.
8. Consumer Control – the organizations best suited to support and assist individuals with disabilities are governed, managed, staffed and operated by individuals with disabilities.
9. Peer Role Models – leadership for independent living and disability rights is vested in individuals with disabilities (not parents, service providers or other representatives).
10. Cross-disability – activities designed to achieve the first five principles must be cross disability in approach, meaning that the work to be done must be carried out by people with different types of disabilities for the benefit of all persons with disabilities.
PACE and Independent Living Philosophy
Who We Are:
Our mission is to support persons with disabilities full participation in the rights and responsibilities of society.
PACE is one of over 500 Centers for Independent Living (CILs) across our nation, twenty-four Centers are in Illinois. Each CIL is community based — local in origin and sensitive to their particular communities needs — and has programs that support people with disabilities efforts to maintain or increase their independence. What is most important about all Centers for Independent Living is that people with disabilities make up 51 percent of our Board and staff. That means that our programs are designed with the perspective of people who actually use them. That ensures program quality and implements one of our Independent Living Philosophy's most important principles – consumer control. PACE stands for "Persons Assuming Control of their Environment". Services are available to Douglas, Edgar, Vermilion, Piatt and Champaign counties. Another important feature of CILs is that we are "cross disability" and unify all people with disabilities in our movement.
The Barriers Concept
We recognize The Barriers Concept: One thing all disabilities have in common is barriers, they may be different in their nature from disability to disability but they are all barriers to independence.
Types of Barriers:
&bull Structural Barriers – Prevention of a person moving freely and independently from one place to another. (Steps instead of a ramp for a wheelchair user)
&bull Programmatic Barriers – Classes, workshops, systems or procedures, which don't allow for people with disabilities unique needs. (Class held in an inaccessible building and when notified the instructor won't move to an accessible location. Another example: Requiring a driver's license as an I.D. and accepting nothing else from people who do not drive.)
&bull Communication Barriers – Prevention of the free and independent exchange of information (Failure to accommodate people who have vision disabilities with alternative formats of the written word when distributing materials or providing an interpreter for people who are deaf).
&bull Economic Barriers – People with disabilities as a group have a much higher unemployment rate though many are people who can and want to work. Some people with disabilities have excessive expenses in medications or adaptive equipment. Health insurance is often denied only on the basis of having many particular disabilities.
&bull Psychological Barriers – People with disabilities who are told often enough they are not capable, can begin to believe it.
&bull Social/Attitudinal Barriers – Society's prejudicial view of disability, which limits opportunities for people with disabilities.
PACE works to remove barriers by promoting the involvement of people with disabilities in all areas of community planning, including the design of systems, buildings and organizations.
This helps ensure that the proper supports – policies, laws, adaptive devices and equipment, personal assistants, interpreters, training, information, advocacy, peer counseling – are available.
A member of INCIL
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