Individuals as Protagonists of Their Own Independent Lives. A listening model for professionals and family

Abstract

The publication of the book Avanzar en mi indepedencia. El derecho a la autonomía personal [Advancing in My INdepedence. The Right to Personal Autonomy] is the outcome of the joint work carried out by people with disabilities and family members and professionals who have shared their experiences and personal reflections and actively participated in the discussions and the issues raised during the three preparatory seminars. The ideas set out in the publication itself have been a tool for working with families towards the progressive elimination of psychological barriers and the creation of support strategies for people with disabilities in everyday life. We have collected here some of the conclusions drawn from the discussions on the need to find oneself and to understand autonomy as a fundamental right, and how to ‘support’ by ‘accompanying’ in order to make life in the community possible.