Independent Living

We believe that all deaf and disabled people should be given the opportunity to live full, independent lives within their own local communities. Independent living is about far more than just equipment and adaptations - it is about changing attitudes, removing stigma and promoting an understanding throughout the world that people with impairments have a great deal to offer locally.

Trafford CIL works actively in our local community to educate, illustrate and remove barriers. We work with business, parents, carers, DPOs (Disabled People's Organisations) and ULOs (User-Led Organisations), as well as with individuals and the local council, and wherever we go we take with us our message of independence for all.

The Disabled People's Movement identified 12 Pillars of Independent Living - the areas it believed to be the very cornerstones of independent living in our modern society. These are:

Appropriate and Accessible Information

An adequate income

Appropriate and accessible health and social care provisions

A fully-accessible transport system

Full access to the environment

Adequate provision of technical aids and equipment

Availability of accessible and adapted housing

Adequate provision of personal assistance

Availability of inclusive education and training

Equal opportunities for employment

Availability of independent advocacy and self advocacy

Availability of peer counseling

As an organisation, we are constantly seeking to achieve equality and inclusion throughout Trafford through the promotion and implementation of independent living. Our Information, Advocacy and Brokerage services work directly with individuals and groups in order to achieve these aims, and we are also involved as an organisation in key local forums around transport, the provision of local services and brokerage.