Independent Living

The “Seven Needs of Independent Living” identifies the barriers that prevent disabled people from living independently, and shows how those barriers can be removed.

GMCDP's Information and Advocacy Unit has just produced an "Independent Living Guide " which is available free of charge to all disabled people living within Greater Manchester. For further details and to request a copy simply contact GMCDP's Information and Advocacy Unit.

The “Seven Needs” were first developed by Derbyshire Coalition of Disabled People and identified those needs as follows:

Information: Disabled people require information on what is available to assist with independent living.

Peer Support: Disabled People need the support of other disabled people to discuss and draw strength from our shared experiences.

Housing: Disabled People need accessible housing. By this we mean accommodation that meets our access requirements and is close to family, friends and local facilities so we can live independently

Equipment: Many disabled people need information and resources to obtain practical equipment to assist them in living independently.

Personal Assistants: This is the one to one support that some disabled people need to live in their own home and be part of the community.

Transport: This may mean improved public transport in terms of physical access, information about the routes, more assistance for passengers who are unsure about using public transport.

Access: The most obvious examples are about physical access such as dropped kerbs, tactile paving, provision of induction loops etc. However access goes much further than this because there are barriers created by systems, practices and attitudes which prevent disabled people from participating.