An International Summit Conference on Independent Living

Washington, DC
September 21-25, 1999
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Disability Leaders from 50 Countries
Convene in Washington, D.C.

Approximately 125 leaders in the international disability advocacy movement known as Independent Living met in Washington, D.C., September 21-25 to formulate new strategies for the 21^st century. The delegates, representing 50 diverse countries based on all continents, were invited in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments in improving life for disabled citizens, whether in Mozambique, Canada, Lebanon, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Zimbabwe or the USA.

What is independent living?

The independent living movement is composed of groups of disabled leaders around the world, working to break through the social and economic barriers that confront the majority of the world’s 600 million people with physical or mental disabilities.

Independent living, developed in the late 1960's, is a civil rights-based approach that utilizes peer support, advocacy and architectural and legislative changes as tools of empowerment for people with disabilities.

The objectives of the movement are to change the status of people with disabilities from dependency to self-sufficiency and to change the corresponding public image from individuals in need of charity to a minority group with rights. The meeting showcased programs in a variety of countries that are making these changes, as well as demonstrating the valuable contributions disabled individuals are making to the economic, social and political development of their countries.

Purposes of the meeting

As stated by the convener of the conference, Judy Heumann, M.P.H., Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, “This is the first opportunity for the international leadership to evaluate its successes over the last 30 years and, most importantly, to develop collaboration that will make significant improvements in the lives of tomorrow’s disabled citizens.”

Assistant Secretary Heumann also stressed that there are critical regional and cultural differences in how independent living programs and services are implemented around the world, and the meeting would provide opportunities for the leaders to compare approaches in detail. For example, some countries focus on employment as the main objective, while others concentrate on development of independent living centers for peer education and training.

Sponsors

The main sponsors of this initiative were the Department of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Departments of Transportation and Agriculture. The program was developed by an international committee chaired by Lex Frieden of ILRU--the Independent Living Research Utilization program, with support from Disabled People’s International, Rehabilitation International, the World Institute on Disability, the InterAmerican Institute on Disability and the U.S. National Council on Independent Living.