<P> Independent living, as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at society and disability, and a worldwide movement of people with disabilities working for equal opportunities, self - determination, and self - respect . In the context of eldercare, independent living is seen as a step in the continuum of care, with assisted living being the next step . </P> <P> In most countries, proponents of the IL Movement claim preconceived notions and a predominantly medical view of disability contribute to negative attitudes towards people with disabilities, portraying them as sick, defective and deviant persons, as objects of professional intervention, as a burden for themselves and their families, dependent on other people's charity . These images, in the IL analysis, have consequences for disabled people's opportunities for raising families of their own, getting education and work, which, in turn, result in persons with disabilities making up a large portion of the poor in any country . With the rise in Senior population, Independent Living facilities have risen in popularity as an option for aging citizens . </P> <P> The Independent Living Movement grew out of the Disability Rights Movement, which began in the 1960s . The IL Movement works at replacing the special education and rehabilitation experts' concepts of integration, normalization and rehabilitation with a new paradigm developed by people with disabilities themselves . The first Independent Living ideologists and organizers were people with extensive disabilities (e.g., Ed Roberts, Judith Heumann, Peg Nosek, Lex Frieden) and of course, early friends and collaborators in the 1970s (Julie Ann Racino) and university and government supporters throughout the 1980s and 1990s . Ed Roberts became a large part of the IL Movement after he contracted polio as a child and was left quadriplegic . As a disabled man, he dealt with discrimination in many different aspects of his life after contracting the illness . In day to day life, people made comments that alluded to the fact that it may have been better if the polio had ended up killing him and he was told by others that they would rather be dead than be like him . His fight for acceptance in schools, however, is what Roberts is most well - known for . In high school, Roberts was stopped from graduating because he could not complete his gym requirement, as he was paralyzed and spent most of his time in an iron lung . His biggest issue when it came to the school systems occurred at UC Berkeley . After struggling to get accepted, the university refused to give Roberts financial aid . He then sued Berkeley for access and integration . Although he won the case, Roberts was housed in school's infirmary instead of the dormitories . As others with disabilities started attending the school and living in the infirmary, an activist group called the Rolling Quads was formed . They ended up starting the Disabled Students' Program, a resource for those with disabilities that was run by people with disabilities . This program led to the first independent living center in America being made, the Berkeley Center for Independent Living . These centers flourished across the United States and are a huge part of why Ed Roberts was so instrumental in the start of the Independent Living Movement . Still, the movement's message seems most popular among people whose lives depend on assistance with the activities of daily living and who, in the view of the IL Movement, are most exposed to custodial care, paternalistic attitudes and control by professionals . In 2015, independent living centers are codified in law throughout the US, and offer a variety of "professional services" (i.e., independent living) under government payment structures in the US . </P> <P> The Independent Living philosophy postulates that people with disabilities are the best experts on their needs, and therefore they must take the initiative, individually and collectively, in designing and promoting better solutions and must organize themselves for political power . Besides de-professionalization and self - representation, the Independent Living ideology comprises de-medicalization of disability, de-institutionalization and cross-disability (i.e. inclusion in the IL Movement regardless of diagnoses). </P>

Who founded some of the first movements toward independent living and disability rights