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Basic concepts of independent living for people with disabilities. The concept of “independent living” What is “Independent Living”

FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION

PENZA STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY named after. V. G. BELINSKY

Faculty of Sociology

Department of Sociology and Social Work and Social Work

Coursework

in the discipline "Theory of Social Work"

“The concept of “Independent Living” as a philosophy and methodology of social work”

Completed by: student of the FSSR

gr. SR-31 Portnenko V. V.

Checked by: assistant Aristova G. A

Penza, 2010

Introduction

Chapter 1. Independent living as a philosophy of social rehabilitation

1. 1 Definition of “independent living”

1. 2 History of the development of medical and social models

1.3 Definition of medical and social models

Chapter 2. Independent living as a methodology for social rehabilitation

2. 1 Methodology of medical and social models

2. 2 Experience of Independent Living Centers in Russia and abroad

Conclusion

References

Introduction

As long as humanity has existed, the problem of people with disabilities has existed for just as long. Initially, it was solved naturally - the fittest survived. However, as society formed, society, to one degree or another, began to take care of those who, for some reason, could not do this on their own.

There are different approaches to the problem of a person with a disability. Some of them are social and medical models.

The medical model has long dominated the views of society and the state, both in Russia and in other countries, so people with disabilities for the most part found themselves isolated and discriminated against. The medical model views disability as a disruption in the functioning of the human body, a disease, and the person himself as passive, completely dependent on medical professionals. The medical approach separates people with disabilities from other groups, supports public stereotypes about the impossibility of independent existence of this group of people without the support of professionals and voluntary assistants, and influences legislation and social services.

The social model is becoming increasingly popular in developed countries, and is also gradually gaining ground in Russia. The regional public organization of disabled people “Perspective” has become an active promoter of this model in Russia. The social model considers a disabled person as a full member of society and focuses attention not on the individual problems of a person with a disability, but on the social causes of their occurrence. A disabled person can actively participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society. A disabled person is a human resource capable of influencing the socio-economic development of the country; it is necessary to create conditions for the integration of disabled people. In order for a disabled person to adapt to the environment, it is necessary to make his living environment as accessible as possible to him, that is, to adapt the environment to the capabilities of the disabled person, so that he feels equal to healthy people at work, at home, and in public places.

Both approaches are different in the understanding of a “disabled person” of his problems, ways to solve them, the place and role of a disabled person in society, thereby determining social policy regarding people with disabilities, legislation, and methods of working with people with disabilities.

Relevance of the problem:

Disabled people claim their rights by proving that they are full members of society. The main barrier that prevents the public from treating the issue of disability correctly is traditional thinking stereotypes. Disability has always been considered a problem for the disabled person himself, who needs to change himself, or specialists will help him change through treatment or rehabilitation. This attitude is manifested in various aspects: in the creation of a system of special education, training, in the creation of an architectural environment, in the creation of an accessible healthcare system, and also affects social policy regarding people with disabilities, legislation, methods of working with people with disabilities

Purpose: to consider attitudes towards people with disabilities from the point of view of the medical and social model.

Based on the goal, the following tasks can be distinguished:

Compare the medical and social models, identify the features of the models

Compare the experience and practice of Independent Living Centers in Russia and abroad, identify the features

Consider the influence of social and medical models on social policy and the practice of social work with people with disabilities

Consider the history of the development of the medical and social model

Identify the difference between the center and medical institutions

Consider attitudes towards people with disabilities throughout history

Object: disabled person

Subject: unequal opportunities for people with disabilities

Hypothesis: Social and medical models determine attitudes towards people with disabilities. The social model does not differentiate between a disabled person and a healthy person, recognizing the disabled person as having equal rights. The medical model views a disabled person as incompetent, unable to take responsibility for himself or to work, and as a danger to society.

When writing the course work the following methods were used:

Method of theoretical analysis of scientific publications and educational literature on the problem under study;

Document analysis method.

Chapter 1. Independent living as a philosophy of social rehabilitation

1.1 Definition of “independent living” for a disabled person

Disability is a limitation in capabilities caused by physical, psychological, sensory, cultural, legislative and other barriers that do not allow a person who has it to be integrated into society on the same basis as other members of society. Society has a responsibility to adapt its standards to the special needs of people with disabilities so that they can live independent lives.

The concept of independent living in a conceptual sense implies two interrelated aspects. In socio-political terms, it is a person’s right to be an integral part of the life of society and to take an active part in social, political and economic processes; this is freedom of choice and access to residential and public buildings, transport, communications, insurance, labor and education. Independent life is the ability to determine and choose, make decisions and manage life situations yourself.

In a philosophical understanding, independent living is a way of thinking, a psychological orientation of an individual, which depends on its relationships with other individuals, on physical capabilities, on the environment and the degree of development of support service systems. The philosophy of independent living encourages a person with a disability to set himself the same goals as any other member of society. The independent living philosophy views disability in terms of a person's inability to walk, hear, see, speak, or think in normal terms.

Independent living involves being in control of one's own affairs, participating in the daily life of the community, performing a range of social roles, and making decisions that lead to self-determination and less psychological or physical dependence on others. Independence is a relative concept, which each person defines in his own way.

Independent life - involves the removal of dependence on the manifestations of the disease, the weakening of the restrictions generated by it, the formation and development of the child’s independence, the formation of the skills necessary in everyday life, which should enable integration, and then active participation in social practice, full-fledged life activities in society.

Independent living means the right and opportunity to choose how to live. This means living like others, being able to decide for yourself what to do, who to meet and where to go, being limited only to the extent that other people without disabilities are limited. This includes the right to make mistakes just like any other person [1].

To become truly independent, people with disabilities must confront and overcome many obstacles. Explicit (physical environment), as well as hidden (attitudes of people). If you overcome them, you can achieve many benefits for yourself. This is the first step towards living a fulfilling life as employees, employers, spouses, parents, athletes, politicians and taxpayers - in other words, to fully participate and be active members of society.

The following declaration of independence was created by a disabled person and expresses the position of an active person, a subject of his own life and social change.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF A DISABLED PERSON

Don't see my disability as a problem.

Don't feel sorry for me, I'm not as weak as I think.

Do not treat me as a patient, as I am simply your fellow countryman.

Don't try to change me. You don't have the right to do this.

Don't try to lead me. I have the right to my own life, like any person.

Don't teach me to be submissive, humble and polite. Don't do me a favor.

Recognize that the real problem that people with disabilities face is their social devaluation and oppression, and prejudice against them.

Please support me so that I can contribute to society to the best of my ability.

Help me know what I want.

Be someone who cares, takes the time, and who doesn't fight to do better.

Be with me even when we fight each other.

Don't help me when I don't need it, even if it gives you pleasure.

Don't admire me. The desire to live a fulfilling life is not admirable.

Get to know me better. We can become friends.

1.2 History of the development of the social and medical model

Regardless of the degree of development of society, there have always been people in it who are especially vulnerable due to the limitations of their physical or mental capabilities. Historians note that in the ancient world, discussions about anomalies and diseases were not separated from general philosophical views, intertwined with thoughts about other natural phenomena, including human life.

In Plato's dialogue "The Republic" the problem of anomaly is illuminated in a social sense. On the one hand, in the spirit of the traditions of “Spartan mercy”, a person suffering from a serious illness throughout his life is useless both for himself and for society. This position is expressed by Aristotle in his work “Politics”: “Let this law be in force that no crippled child should be fed.” Spartan doctors - gerousii and ephors - belonged to the highest government officials; they were the ones who made the decision: to keep alive this or that patient, a newborn (when a weak, premature child was born), his parents, a frail old man, or “help” them die. In Sparta, death was always preferred to illness or infirmity, regardless of the social status of the patient, even if he was a king. This is precisely what “mercy in the Spartan way” consisted of.

During the Middle Ages, the strengthening of religious dictate, primarily of the Roman Catholic Church, was associated with the formation of a special interpretation of any developmental disorder and any disease as “possession by the devil,” a manifestation of an evil spirit. The demonological interpretation of the disease determined, firstly, the passivity of the patient, and secondly, the need for emergency intervention of the Holy Inquisition. During this period, all seizures, epileptics, and hysterics were subjected to rituals of “exorcism.” A special category of specialists appeared in the monasteries, to whom the above-mentioned patients were brought for “cure.”

During the Renaissance, humanistic trends emerged in medicine; doctors began to visit monasteries and prisons, monitor patients, and try to evaluate and comprehend their condition. The restoration of Greco-Roman medicine and the discovery of a number of manuscripts date back to this time. The development of medical and philosophical knowledge helped to understand the spiritual and physical life of the anomalous.

In pre-Petrine Rus', diseases were viewed as the result of God's punishment, as well as as a consequence of witchcraft, the evil eye, and slander.

The first Russian state act dates back to the reign of Ivan the Terrible and is included in the Stoglavy Code of Laws as a separate article. The article asserts the need to care for the poor and sick, including those “who are demon-possessed and devoid of reason, so that they do not become a hindrance and a scarecrow for the healthy and to give them the opportunity to receive admonition or bring them to the truth.”

A change in attitude towards persons with developmental problems has been noted since the second half of the 18th century. - a consequence of the influence of the ideas of humanism, reformation, the development of universities, the acquisition of personal freedoms by certain classes, the emergence of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (Article I of the Declaration proclaimed that “people are born and remain free and equal in rights”). From this period, in many states, first private and then public institutions began to be created, whose functions included providing medical and pedagogical assistance to people with disabilities.

Since the second half of the 20th century, the world community has been building its life in accordance with international legal acts of a humanistic nature. This was largely facilitated by two factors: colossal human casualties and the violation of human rights and freedoms during the Second World War, which showed humanity the abyss in which it could find itself if it did not accept for itself as the highest value, as the goal and meaning of existence of society itself. of a person – his life and well-being.

A significant impetus for the development of the "social model of disability" was the essay "The Critical Condition", which was written by the British disabled person Paul Hunt and was published in 1966. Hunt, in his work, argued that people with disabilities posed a direct challenge to conventional Western values, as they were perceived as “miserable, useless, different, oppressed and sick.” Hunt's analysis showed that people with disabilities were perceived as:

“unfortunate” - because they cannot enjoy the material and social benefits of modern society;

"useless" - because they are seen as people who are unable to contribute to the economic well-being of society;

members of an “oppressed minority” – because, like blacks and homosexuals, they are perceived as “deviant” and “different.”

This analysis led Hunt to conclude that people with disabilities face “prejudice that results in discrimination and oppression.” He identified the relationship between economic and cultural relations and people with disabilities, which is a very important part of understanding the experience of living with handicaps and disabilities in Western society. Ten years later, in 1976, an organization called the Handicap Alliance Against Isolation took Paul Hunt's ideas a little further. UPIAS has come up with its own definition of disability. Namely:

“Disability is an impediment or restriction in activity caused by the modern social order which pays little or no attention to people who have physical defects and thus excludes them from participation in the main social activities of society.”

The fact that the UPIAS definition was relevant only to people with only physical defects then caused many criticisms and complaints about such a presentation of the problem. While UPIAS was understandable, the organization acted within its purview: by definition, UPIAS membership consisted only of people with physical disabilities, so UPIAS could only make statements on behalf of this group of disabled people.

This stage of development of the social model can be characterized by the fact that for the first time disability was described as restrictions imposed on disabled people by the social structure of society.

It was not until 1983 that disability scholar Mike Oliver defined the ideas expressed in Hunt's work and the UPIAS definition as the "social model of disability." The social model was expanded and refined by scientists from Britain such as Vic Finkelstein, Mike Oliver and Colin Barnes, from the USA such as Gerben DiJong, as well as other scientists. A significant contribution to refining the idea to include all disabled people in the new model, regardless of the type of their defects, was made by the Disabled Peoples International organization.

The social model was developed as an attempt to present a paradigm that would be an alternative to the dominant medical perception of disability. The semantic center of the new view was to consider the problem of disability as a result of society’s attitude to their special needs. According to the social model, disability is a social problem. At the same time, limited capabilities are not “part of a person”, not his fault. A person may try to reduce the consequences of his illness, but his feeling of limited opportunities is caused not by the illness itself, but by the presence of physical, legal, and relational barriers created by society. According to the social model, a person with a disability should be an equal subject of social relations, to whom society should provide equal rights, equal opportunities, equal responsibility and free choice, taking into account his special needs. At the same time, a person with a disability should have the opportunity to integrate into society on his own terms, and not be forced to adapt to the rules of the world of “healthy people”.

Attitudes towards people with disabilities have changed throughout history, determined as humanity socially and morally “matured”, public views and sentiments regarding who people with disabilities are, what place they should occupy in social life and how society can and should build your system of relationships with them.

The main reasons for this genesis of social thought and public sentiment are:

Increasing the level of social maturity of society and improving and developing its material, technical and economic capabilities;

Increasing intensity of development of human civilization and the use of human resources, which, in turn, leads to a sharp increase in the social “price” of many disorders in human life.

1.3 Comparison of the medical and social model

Medical and social models of disability in a comparative aspect have fundamentally different approaches. According to the medical approach, a person with physical or mental disabilities is seen as a problem and must adapt to the environment. To do this, a disabled person must undergo a process of medical rehabilitation. A disabled person is a patient who needs to be treated and without professionals he cannot live. Thus, the medical approach separates people with disabilities from other groups and does not provide the opportunity to realize their potential. Such a model, wittingly or unwittingly, weakens the social position of a disabled person, reduces his social significance, isolates him from the “normal” community, aggravates his unequal social status, and condemns him to the recognition of his inequality and lack of competitiveness in comparison with other people.

The social approach considers a disabled person as a full-fledged member of society with the same rights as everyone else. The problem is not with the disabled person, but with society, that is, it considers barriers in society that do not allow a person to participate equally in his life as the main reason that makes a person disabled. The main emphasis is not on treating the disabled person, but on meeting the needs of the disabled person, recognizing him as an equal member of society. The social approach does not isolate the disabled person, but stimulates him to self-realization, recognizing his rights.

Under the influence of such humane attitudes, not only the individual, but also the entire society will change.

Medical model	Social model
The child is imperfect	Every child is valued and accepted for who they are.
Diagnosis	Strengths and needs determined by the child himself and his environment
Labeling	Identifying barriers and solving problems
Violation becomes the center of attention	Carrying out results-oriented activities
Needs assessment, monitoring, treatment of disorders	Availability of standard services using additional resources
Segregation and provision of separate, special services	Training and education of parents and specialists
Ordinary needs are put on hold	“Cultivating” relationships between people
Recovery in the case of a more or less normal state, otherwise - segregation	Differences are welcomed and accepted. Inclusion of every child
Society remains unchanged	The community is developing

According to the medical model, the inability of a disabled person to be a full member of society is seen as a direct result of that person's disability.

When people think about disabled people in this (individual) way, the solution to all disability problems seems to be to concentrate our efforts on compensating disabled people for what is “wrong” with their bodies. For this purpose, they are provided with special social benefits, special allowances, and special services.

Positive aspects of the medical model:

It is to this model that humanity owes scientific discoveries aimed at developing methods for diagnosing many pathological conditions leading to disability, as well as methods of prevention and medical correction that make it possible to neutralize the effect of the primary defect and help reduce the degree of disability.

Among the negative consequences of the medical model of disability are the following.

First, because the medical model defines a person as disabled if his disability affects his activities. This does not take into account many social factors that may also influence a person’s daily activities. For example, although a disability may have an adverse effect on a person's ability to walk, other social factors, such as the design of a public transportation system, will have an equal, if not greater, adverse effect on a person's ability to walk.

Second, the medical model emphasizes activity. For example, saying that hearing, talking, seeing, or walking is normal implies that using braille, sign language, or using crutches and wheelchairs is not normal.

The most serious disadvantage of the medical model of disability is that this model contributes to the creation and strengthening of a negative image of disabled people in people's minds. This causes particular harm to the disabled themselves, since a negative image is created and strengthened in the minds of the disabled themselves. After all, the fact still remains that many disabled people sincerely believe that all their problems are due to the fact that they do not have a normal body. In addition, the overwhelming majority of disabled people are convinced that the defects they possess automatically exclude them from participation in social activities.

The social model was created by disabled people who felt that the individual (medical) model did not adequately explain their exclusion from the mainstream of society. Our own experience has shown disabled people that in reality most problems do not appear due to their defects, but are consequences of how society is structured, or in other words, they are consequences of social organization. Hence the phrase “social model”.

Disability in the social model is shown as something that is caused by “barriers” or elements of the social order that do not take (or, if they do, take very little) into account people who have disabilities. Society is presented as something that makes disabled people who have disabilities, because the way it is structured makes it impossible for disabled people to take part in its normal, everyday life. It follows that if a disabled person cannot take part in the normal activities of society, then the way in which society is organized must be changed. This change can be brought about by the removal of barriers that exclude a person with disabilities from society.

Barriers can be:

Prejudices and stereotypes regarding people with disabilities;

Lack of access to information;

Lack of affordable housing;

Lack of accessible transport;

Lack of access to social facilities, etc.

These barriers were created by politicians and writers, religious leaders and architects, engineers and designers, as well as ordinary people. This means that all these barriers can be removed.

The social model does not deny the presence of defects and physiological differences, but shifts the emphasis towards those aspects of our world that can be changed. Concern about the bodies of disabled people, their treatment and correction of their defects should be left to doctors. Moreover, the result of the work of doctors should not affect whether a person will remain a full member of society or will be excluded from it.

By themselves, these models are insufficient, although both of them are partially justified. Disability is a complex phenomenon that is a problem both at the level of the human body and at the social level. Disability is always an interaction between the properties of a person and the properties of the environment in which this person lives, but some aspects of disability are completely internal to the person, while others, on the contrary, are only external. In other words, both medical and social concepts are suitable for addressing the problems associated with disability; we cannot refuse either intervention. The best model of disability, therefore, will be a synthesis of the best of the medical and social models, without making their inherent mistakes in downplaying the holistic, complex concept of disability to one or another aspect

Chapter 2. Independent living as a methodology for social rehabilitation

2.1 Methodology of the medical and social model

According to the medical model, a person with disorders of psychophysical and intellectual development is considered sick. This means that such a person is considered from the perspective of medical care and possible treatment options. Without in any way denying the importance and necessity of targeted medical care for people with disabilities with congenital developmental defects, it must be stated that the nature of the limitation of their life activity is associated, first of all, with impaired relationships with the environment and learning difficulties. In a society where this view of the disabled person as a sick person prevails, it is believed that rehabilitation programs should mainly include medical diagnosis, therapeutic interventions and the organization of long-term care aimed at meeting their physical needs, the emphasis is on segregation methods, in the form of special educational institutions, special sanatoriums. These institutions provide medical, psychological and social adaptation to disabled people.

The center develops special methods and social technologies based on advances in the field of medicine, psychology, sociology and pedagogy, and uses individual rehabilitation programs for children with disabilities.

Services provided by the centers:

1. Diagnosis of the psychophysiological development of children and identification of psychophysiological characteristics of children’s development.

2. Determination of real opportunities and rehabilitation potential. Conducting sociological research to study family needs and resources.

3. Medical care for disabled children. Providing qualified medical care to children with disabilities in the process of rehabilitation. Consulting of disabled children by doctors of various specialties and provision of a wide range of therapeutic procedures (physical therapy, massage, physical therapy, etc.). Free drug treatment.

4. Patronage services for disabled children at home.

5. Social support for families with disabled children.

6. Social patronage, including social diagnostics, primary consultation on legal issues.

7. Assistance in home education of children with severe illness aged 7-9 years. Organization of leisure time for children and their families.

8. Psychological support for disabled children and their families is provided through:

Psychodiagnostics of children and their parents, psychotherapy and psychocorrection using modern psychotechnologies;

Adaptation of behavior in group work conditions (trainings);

Development of individual rehabilitation programs to continue psychological rehabilitation at home;

Conducting training seminars for parents to improve their psychological competence;

Consulting parents whose children are undergoing rehabilitation in the inpatient department of the Center.

Such institutions isolate children with disabilities from the community; disabled people are provided with comprehensive assistance (medical, social and pedagogical patronage) and involve rehabilitation.

Medical rehabilitation of disabled people is carried out with the aim of restoring or compensating for lost or impaired human functions to a socially significant level. The rehabilitation process does not only involve the provision of medical care. Medical rehabilitation includes rehabilitation therapy, reconstructive surgery, prosthetics and orthotics.

Rehabilitation therapy involves the use of mechanotherapy, physiotherapy, kinesiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, mud and balneotherapy, traditional therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy assistance, etc.

Reconstructive surgery as a method of surgical restoration of the anatomical integrity and physiological viability of the body includes methods of cosmetology, organ-protective and organ-restoring surgery.

Prosthetics is the replacement of a partially or completely lost organ with an artificial equivalent (prosthesis) with maximum preservation of individual characteristics and functional abilities.

Orthotics - compensation for partially or completely lost functions of the musculoskeletal system with the help of additional external devices (orthoses) that ensure the performance of these functions.

The medical rehabilitation program includes providing disabled people with technical means of medical rehabilitation (urinal bag, colostomy bag, hearing aids, etc.), as well as providing information services on medical rehabilitation issues.

According to the social model, a person becomes disabled when he is unable to realize his rights and needs, but without losing any organs and senses. From the point of view of the social model, provided that people with disabilities have unhindered access to all infrastructure without exception, the problem of disability will disappear on its own, since in this case they will have the same opportunities as other people.

The social model defines the following principles of social service:

Respect for human and civil rights;

Providing state guarantees in the field of social

service;

Ensuring equal opportunities in receiving social services and their accessibility for elderly citizens and people with disabilities;

Continuity of all types of social services;

Orientation of social services to the individual needs of elderly citizens and disabled people;

Priority of measures for social adaptation of elderly citizens and disabled people;

Responsibility of state authorities, local authorities

self-government and institutions, as well as officials for ensuring rights.

This approach serves as the basis for the creation of rehabilitation centers, social services that help adapt environmental conditions to the needs of children with disabilities, an expert service for parents that carries out activities to teach parents the basics of independent living and represent their interests, a system of volunteer assistance to parents with special children, and independent living centers.

The Center for Independent Living is a comprehensive innovative model of a system of social services that, in conditions of discriminatory legislation, an inaccessible architectural environment and a conservative public consciousness towards people with disabilities, creates a regime of equal opportunities for children with special problems. Center for Independent Living - involves the removal of dependence on the manifestations of the disease, the weakening of the restrictions generated by it, the formation and development of the child’s independence, the formation of the skills necessary in everyday life, which should enable integration, and then active participation in social practice, full life activity in society. A person with disabilities should be considered an expert who actively participates in the implementation of his own rehabilitation programs. Equalization of opportunities is ensured with the help of social services that help overcome the specific difficulties of a disabled person on the path to active self-realization, creativity, and a prosperous emotional state in the community.

The social model is aimed at an “Individual rehabilitation program for a disabled person - a set of optimal rehabilitation measures for a disabled person, developed on the basis of a decision of the State Service for Medical and Social Expertise, which includes certain types, forms, volumes, timing and procedures for the implementation of medical, professional and other rehabilitation measures aimed at for restoration, compensation for impaired or lost body functions, restoration, compensation for the abilities of a disabled person to perform certain types of activities.” The IPR indicates the types and forms of recommended activities, volumes, timing, performers, and expected effect.

Proper execution of the IRP provides a disabled person with ample opportunities to lead an independent life. Officials who are in one way or another connected with the development and implementation of the IPR must constantly keep in mind that the IPR is a set of activities that are optimal for a disabled person, aimed at maximizing his full integration into the sociocultural environment. The rehabilitation measures of the IPR include:

The need to adapt housing to a disabled person

The need for household appliances for self-care:

The need for technical means of rehabilitation

Teaching a disabled person how to live with a disability

Personal security training

Training in social skills for housekeeping (budgeting, visiting retail outlets, repair shops, hairdressers, etc.).

Personal problem solving training

Training family members, relatives, acquaintances, work employees (at the disabled person’s place of work) to communicate with the disabled person and provide him with the necessary assistance

Training in social communication, assistance and assistance in organizing and conducting personal leisure time

Assistance and assistance in providing the necessary prosthetic and orthopedic products, prosthetics and orthotics.

Psychological assistance aimed at developing self-confidence, improving positive qualities, and optimism in life.

Psychotherapeutic assistance.

Professional information, career guidance taking into account the results of rehabilitation.

Consultations.

Assistance in obtaining the necessary medical rehabilitation.

Assistance in obtaining additional education, a new profession, rational employment.

It is precisely such services that relieve the disabled person from degrading dependence on the environment and would free up invaluable human resources (parents and relatives) for free labor for the benefit of society.

A system of social services is built on the basis of the medical and social model, but the medical one isolates the disabled person from society, emphasizes the provision of services for the treatment of the disease and adaptation to the environment; special social services, which are created within the framework of official policy based on the medical model, do not allow the person a person with a disability has the right to choose: decisions are made for him, he is offered, he is patronized.

Social takes into account that a disabled person may be just as capable and talented as his peer who does not have health problems, but inequality of opportunities prevents him from discovering his talents, developing them, and using them to benefit society; a disabled person is not a passive object of social assistance, but a developing person who has the right to satisfy diverse social needs in cognition, communication, and creativity; The state is called upon not only to provide the disabled person with certain benefits and privileges, it must meet his social needs halfway and create a system of social services that will allow him to level out the restrictions that impede the processes of his socialization and individual development.

2.2 Centers for independent living: experience and practice in Russia and abroad

Lex Frieden defines the Center for Independent Living as a non-profit organization founded and operated by people with disabilities that provides services, directly or indirectly (service information), to help achieve maximum independence, reducing the need for outside care and assistance where possible. The Center for Independent Living is a comprehensive innovative model of a system of social services that, in conditions of discriminatory legislation, an inaccessible architectural environment and a social consciousness that is conservative towards people with disabilities, creates a regime of equal opportunities for people with disabilities.

The IJC implements four main types of programs:

1. Information and Referral Information: This program is based on the belief that access to information strengthens a person's ability to manage their life situation.

2. Peer counseling (sharing experiences): encourages the disabled person to meet their needs by taking responsibility for their life. The consultant is also a disabled person who shares his experience and skills of independent living. An experienced counselor acts as a role model for a disabled person who has overcome obstacles to live a full life on an equal basis with other members of society.

3. Individual consultations to protect the rights and interests of persons with disabilities: Canadian IWCs work with individuals to help them achieve their personal goals. The coordinator teaches the person to speak on his own behalf, speak in his own defense, and defend his rights. This approach is based on the belief that the person himself knows best what services he needs.

4. Service delivery: improvement of both the services and the ability of the INC to provide them to clients is carried out through research and planning, demonstration programs, the use of a network of contacts, monitoring the services provided (home help from personal assistants, transport services, assistance to people with disabilities during absence ( leave) for caregivers, loans for assistive devices).

In contrast to medical and social rehabilitation, in the independent living model, citizens with disabilities themselves take responsibility for the development and management of their lives with personal and social resources.

Centers for Independent Living (ICL) are organizations of people with disabilities common in the West (public, non-profit, managed by people with disabilities). By actively involving people with disabilities themselves in finding and managing personal and community resources, IJCs help them gain and maintain leverage in their lives.

We provide information about foreign and domestic IJCs

There are currently approximately 340 independent living centers in the United States with more than 224 locations. Title 7, Part C of the Rehabilitation Act provides $45 million in funding for 229 Centers and 44 affiliates. One Independent Living Center can serve residents of one or more counties. According to the Rural Institute on Disability, one Center for Independent Living, on average, serves 5.7 counties.

The first independent living center opened in 1972 in Berkeley, USA. Since its founding in 1972, the Center has had a significant impact on architectural changes that make the environment accessible to people with disabilities, and also provides its clients with a whole range of services:

Personal Assistant Services: Candidates for this position are selected and interviewed. Personal assistants assist their clients with housekeeping and maintenance, allowing them to be more independent.

Services for the Blind: For the blind and visually impaired, the Center offers peer counseling and support groups, independent living skills training, and reading equipment. There is a special store and rental point for this equipment and audio recordings

Client Assistance Project: This is part of the federal Department of Rehabilitation Act consumer and former client protection program.

Project “client choice”. The project is specifically designed to demonstrate ways to increase choice in the rehabilitation process for people with disabilities, including people with disabilities from ethnic minorities and people with limited English proficiency.

Services for the deaf and deaf-mute: support groups and counseling, sign language interpretation, translation of correspondence from English to American Sign Language, communication assistance, independent living skills training, individual assistance.

Employment assistance: job search for people with disabilities, interview preparation, resume writing, job search skills, information and follow-up counseling, “work club”

Consulting on financial issues: reference, counseling, education on financial benefits, insurance and other social programs.

Housing: Housing counseling is available for clients who live in Berkeley and Oakland, as well as for people with mental disabilities in Alameda County. The Center's specialists provide assistance in finding and maintaining affordable housing, provide information about housing rental, relocation programs, discounts and benefits.

Independent Living Skills: Disability counselors provide workshops, support groups, and one-on-one sessions on independent living and socialization skills and the use of technology aids.

Legal consultation: once a month, lawyers from the district bar association meet with clients and discuss cases of discrimination, contracts, family law, housing law, criminal issues, etc. Lawyers' services are free.

Mutual support and counseling on various issues that people with disabilities face in everyday life: individual, group, for married couples.

Youth service: individual and family counseling for young disabled people and their parents aged 14 to 22 years, technical support, training, development of individual educational plans, seminars and mutual support groups for parents, technical assistance to teachers who teach disabled people in their classes, summer camps.

In Russia, one of the first independent living centers was opened in 1996, which explains the late opening of the center. Novosibirsk regional public organization of disabled people "Center for Independent Life" Finist" is a non-governmental, self-governing public association of citizens with disabilities who voluntarily united on the basis of common interests to achieve goals.

The main goal of the FINIST Center is to provide maximum assistance to people with disabilities in returning them to an active lifestyle and integration into society. “The Center for Independent Living “Finist” combines a social club, a sports club, an organization involved in testing wheelchairs, providing medical rehabilitation, legal protection for persons with disabilities, as well as a structure that provides a real opportunity to obtain additional professional and accessible higher education for people with disabilities physical capabilities that allow them to be competitive in the labor market.

NROOI “Center for Independent Living “Finist” builds its work on the implementation of comprehensive programs in the following areas:

Psychological and physical rehabilitation through physical education and sports;

Development of amateur and cultural creativity among people with disabilities;

Providing mutual consultation services;

Testing of active wheelchairs and other rehabilitation devices;

Medical examination and diagnosis of concomitant diseases in people with disabilities;

Organization of a system of primary vocational education for people with disabilities, giving them the opportunity to acquire a profession and be competitive in the labor market;

Computer training for people with disabilities with subsequent employment;

Providing consulting services and legal protection of people with disabilities and influencing government authorities to implement regulations that protect the rights of people with disabilities;

Creating an accessible living environment for people with disabilities in Novosibirsk.

The FINIST Center for Independent Living is in fact the only organization in the region that combines the functions of a rehabilitation center for the disabled, a social club, a sports club, an organization that manages the production and testing of wheelchairs, as well as an educational structure that deals with additional professional education.

The goal of the IJC in Russia and abroad: integration and adaptation of people with disabilities; the goal of achieving optimal emotional and expressive contacts of people with disabilities with the outside world; a departure from the previously widespread medical idea of people with disabilities; the formation of pronounced subject-subject relationships and the “communicant-subject” system communicant" as opposed to the established communicative-recipient structure, but in Russia the number of communicants is much smaller than abroad, since the existing idealistic concepts of building a socialist society "rejected" disabled people from society.

Thus, much attention is paid to social work with disabled people abroad. Both state, public and private organizations are involved in the social protection of disabled people. Such social work with disabled people gives us an example of the quality of social services provided to disabled people and the way they are organized.

Conclusion

The term “disabled person”, due to established tradition, carries a discriminatory idea, expresses the attitude of society, expresses the attitude towards a disabled person as a socially useless category. The concept of “person with disabilities” in the traditional approach clearly expresses the lack of vision of the social essence of a disabled person. The problem of disability is not limited to the medical aspect, it is a social problem of unequal opportunities.

The main problem of a person with disabilities is his connection with the world, the limitation of mobility. Poverty of contacts with peers and adults, limited communication with nature, access to cultural values, and sometimes even to basic education. This problem is not only a subjective factor, such as social, physical and mental health, but also the result of social policy and the prevailing public consciousness, which sanction the existence of an architectural environment inaccessible to a disabled person, public transport, and the lack of special social services.

Noting the state attention to disabled people with disabilities, the successful development of certain medical and educational institutions, however, it should be recognized that the level of assistance in serving children of this category does not meet the needs, since the problems of their social rehabilitation and adaptation in the future are not solved .

The state is not just called upon to provide a person with a disability with certain benefits and privileges, it must meet his social needs and create a system of social services that will help level out the restrictions that impede the processes of his social rehabilitation and individual development.

List of used literature

1. Towards independent living: Benefits for the disabled. M: ROOI “Perspective”, 2000

2. Yarskaya-Smirnova, E. R. Social work with disabled people. textbook manual for university students in the field of preparation. and special “Social work” / E. R. Yarskaya-Smirnova, E. K. Naberushkina. - 2nd ed. , processed and additional - St. Petersburg. : Peter, 2005. - 316 p.

3. Zamsky, Kh. S. Mentally retarded children. History of study, education and training from ancient times to the middle of the 20th century / Kh. S. Zamsky. – M.: NPO “Education”, 1995. – 400 p.

4. Kuznetsova L.P. Basic technologies of social work: Textbook. - Vladivostok: Publishing house of Far Eastern State Technical University, 2002. - 92 p.

5. Dumbaev A. E., Popova T. V. Disabled person, society and law. - Almaty: Verena LLP, 2006. – 180 pages.

6. Zayats O. V. Experience of organizational and administrative work in the system of social services, institutions and organizations Publishing House of the Far Eastern University 2004 VLADIVOSTOK 2004

7. Pecherskikh E. A. Know in order to... - A reference guide on the philosophy of an independent lifestyle Subgrant Airex F-R1-SR-13 Samara

8. Firsov M.V., Studenova E.G. Theory of social work: Textbook. aid for students higher textbook establishments. - M.: Humanite. ed. center VLA DOS, 2001. -432 p.

9. Melnik Yu. V. Features of the social movement of disabled people for independent living in Russia and abroad URL: http://science. ncstu. ru/conf/past/2007/stud/theses/ped/29. pdf/file_download (accessed 05/18/2010)

10. . Kholostova. E. I. Sorvina. A. S. Social work: theory and practice: – M.: INFRA-M, 2002.

11. Program and direction of work Novosibirsk regional public organization of disabled people Center for Independent Living “Finist”

URL: http://finist-nsk. people ru/onas. htm (accessed 05/15/2010)

12. "Virtual Center for Independent Living of Young Disabled People" URL: http://independentfor. people ru/material/manifest. htm (accessed 05/17/2010)

Independent living means the right and opportunity to choose how to live. It means living like others, being able to decide for yourself what to do, who to meet and where to go, being limited only to the extent that other people without disabilities are limited. This means having the right to make mistakes just like any other person.

To become truly independent, people with disabilities must confront and overcome many obstacles. Such barriers can be obvious (physical environment, etc.), as well as hidden (attitudes of people). Overcoming these barriers can lead to many benefits for yourself, and is the first step towards living a fulfilling life as employees, employers, spouses, parents, athletes, politicians and taxpayers, in other words, to the fullest. participate in the life of society and be an active member of it.

The philosophy of independent living, broadly defined, is a movement for the civil rights of millions of people with disabilities around the world. This is a wave of protest against segregation and discrimination against people with disabilities, as well as support for the rights of people with disabilities and their ability to fully share the responsibilities and joys of our society.

As a philosophy, Independent Living is globally defined as the ability to have complete control over one's life based on acceptable choices that minimize dependence on others to make decisions and carry out daily activities. This concept includes control over one's own affairs, participation in the daily life of society, fulfillment of a range of social roles and making decisions that lead to self-determination and a decrease in psychological or physical dependence on others. Independence is a relative concept, which each person defines differently.

The philosophy of independent living makes clear the difference between a meaningless life in isolation and fulfilling participation in society.

Basic concepts of independent living for people with disabilities

· Don't see my disability as a problem.

· Don't support me, I'm not as weak as I think.

· Do not treat me as a patient, as I am simply your fellow countryman.

· Don't try to change me. You don't have the right to do this.

· Don't try to control me. I have the right to my own life, like any person.

· Don’t teach me to be submissive, humble and polite. Don't do me a favor.

· Recognize that the real problem that people with disabilities face is their social devaluation and oppression, and prejudice against them.

· Support me so that I can contribute to society to the best of my ability.

· Help me know what I want.

· Be someone who cares, takes the time, and who doesn't fight to do better.

· Be with me even when we fight each other.

· Don't help me when I don't need it, even if it gives you pleasure.

· Don't admire me. The desire to live a fulfilling life is not admirable.

· Get to know me better. We can become friends.

· Be allies in the fight against those who use me for their own gratification.

· Let's respect each other. After all, respect presupposes equality. Listen, support and act.

Model Regulations on the Center for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Disabled People

OBJECTIVES OF THE CENTER
- Detailing and specification of individual rehabilitation programs for disabled people developed by institutions of the State Service for Medical and Social Expertise;
- Development (based on a detailed and specific individual rehabilitation program) of plans and programs for the rehabilitation of disabled people in the Center;
- Carrying out medical rehabilitation;
- Organization and implementation of measures for prosthetics and cutting of disabled people;
- Implementation of professional rehabilitation of disabled people;
- Carrying out social rehabilitation of disabled people;
- Conducting comprehensive psychological rehabilitation;
- Dynamic control over the process of rehabilitation of disabled people;
- Participation in the organization of training and retraining of personnel for departments and offices of multidisciplinary comprehensive rehabilitation of disabled people;
- Providing organizational and methodological assistance to independent departments and offices of multidisciplinary comprehensive rehabilitation of disabled people;
- Providing advisory and methodological assistance on the rehabilitation of disabled people to public, state and other organizations, as well as individual citizens.

3. MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTER
In accordance with the listed tasks, the Center performs the following functions:
- clarification of rehabilitation potential;
- carrying out rehabilitation therapy;
- performing reconstructive surgery;
- restoration, improvement or compensation of lost functions;
- speech therapy training;
- organization of physical therapy;
- organization and implementation of measures related to prosthetics for disabled people, training them in the skills of using prostheses;
- implementation of a comprehensive system of measures for the professional rehabilitation of disabled people to return them to active work;
- identification and selection of appropriate types of profession for disabled people that fully meet their health status;
- organization of vocational guidance and selection
disabled people;
- organization of vocational training and retraining of disabled people;
- organization of professional and industrial adaptation of disabled people;
- training disabled people in the basics of entrepreneurship and active behavior skills in the labor market;
- organization of social and everyday adaptation of disabled people;
- implementation of measures for social and environmental orientation of disabled people;
- implementation of measures to adapt families to the problems of people with disabilities;
- informing people with disabilities about rehabilitation services that are provided to them free of charge or for a fee;
- training disabled people in the use of special products and technical means that make their work and life easier;
- involving disabled people in amateur or professional sports;
- conducting psychotherapeutic and psychological activities;
- scientific support and analysis of experience in organizing the work of bodies and institutions of medical and social examination, rehabilitation and prosthetics for people with disabilities and the development of recommendations for its improvement;
- organization of information and advisory assistance on legal, medical and other issues related to the rehabilitation of disabled people.

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Disability– these are limitations in capabilities caused by physical, psychological, sensory, cultural, legislative and other barriers that do not allow a person who has it to be integrated into society on the same basis as other members of society.

Society has a responsibility to adapt its standards to the special needs of people with disabilities so that they can live independent lives.

The philosophy of independent living encourages a person with a disability to set himself the same goals as any other member of society.

The independent living philosophy views disability in terms of a person's inability to walk, hear, see, speak, or think in normal terms. Thus, a person with a disability falls into the same sphere of interconnected relations between members of society. So that he himself can make decisions and determine his actions, social services are created that compensate for his inability to do anything.

Inclusion in the infrastructure of society of a system of social services, to which a person with a disability could delegate his limited abilities, would make him an equal member of society, independently making decisions and taking responsibility for his actions, benefiting the state. It is precisely such services that would free him from degrading dependence on the environment and free up invaluable human resources (parents and relatives) for free labor for the benefit of society.

Independent living means the right and opportunity to choose how to live. This means living like others, being able to decide for yourself what to do, who to meet and where to go, being limited only to the extent that other people without disabilities are limited. This is the right to make mistakes just like any other person.

Independent living for people with disabilities is...

The ability to determine and choose a lifestyle that allows you to make decisions independently and freely manage circumstances in different life situations;

The human right to be an integral part of modern society and, taking an active part in social and political processes, to have freedom of choice;

The opportunity to have the right to full participation in the processes of medical and social rehabilitation and to be the main expert in assessing their quality;

The human right to have free access to housing and habitat, social infrastructure and transport, work and education, health care and social services;

Everything that allows a disabled person to consider himself a Personality and be an independent person.

The philosophy of independent living, broadly defined, is a movement for the civil rights of millions of people with disabilities around the world.

Around the world, the philosophy of independent living is defined as: the ability to have complete control over one's life through reasonable choices that minimize dependence on others for decisions and daily activities.

This concept involves control over one's own affairs, participation in the daily life of society, the performance of a range of social roles and decision-making that leads to self-determination and a decrease in psychological or physical dependence on others.