The Forum Independent Living is a forum or group born through Internet in the year 2002. Then were 4 people; now same Us about 750, and every day is are added more.
Its objective is look by people with disabilities, physics, mental, intellectual, sensorial, visual, hearing, etc. But always starting from ourselves and managed by us. Our motto is: “Nothing about us without us”.
We asked to get deems as some people and some citizens more, without any discrimination by our situation of dependence and the need of one third person for activities of everyday life. We called ourselves people with functional diversity. No we are sick (although some disabilities yes that depart and van bonded for life to a disease); not even handicapped nor disabled, not worth less nor do we have a lower capacity. Simply we function of form diverse to a large majority of citizenship. But all we are diverse, to After all (not two people are alike); and there it is the richness of humans.
By that, recognize that our problems are not of disease nor of handicap, but of dignity and social justice. Any child, young or adult with a functional diversity can fend Like another person with braces necessary and a personal assistance (we call personal assistant to the person we attends in our daily activities and that must be remunerated).
La Law Unit is a first step, but we want go much beyond. In Germany, Sweden or France, among others, and in some states of EE. UU. makes 30 years that the State pays personal assistance of the great dependents, and exist work agencies Special Education School in Karachi, Pakistan that work. In Spain is begins now.
Among other objectives achieved, we got that were to be altered Article 19 of the Law Unit and Autonomy Personal, on Assistance Personal; and we have created the first pilot experience of Offices for Independent Living (OVI), in Madrid; in Galicia has begun to be ordered personal assistance. It is that the great dependent, through adequate personal assistance (free, selected by himself and managed by responsible of the Office, great dependents in turn), can choose he himself their way of life: in family or residence , but also in solitude, partner or forming a family own (within the possibilities and limitations of each, as all).
Sounds like fairy tale. But all these principles are already collected in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, approved by the UN in December 2006, and ratified in turn by the Government Spanish, and published in the BOE, the March 3, 2007 .
The Independent Living Forum is aconfesional, open to every person of any condition, belief or nationality. It is only forbidden insulting the another.
We try access the media, but not always easy (sometime we got it). Exige a change of chip. We are aware that is a revolution, first within us, after social. Within few years will look like something logical, common sense.