Independent Living Project
Entity which complete it
Country
Town
Project name
Stating Year
Where it takes place
Range of age
Type of disability
Project link
Why is it a good practice of the Person-Centered Model?
Pilot project that accompanies people with disabilities in the design and implementation of their own independent living plan. Offers individual guidance, personalized assistance, self-management training and support to access housing, employment, services and daily routines.
Person-centered approach: Each person defines their life itinerary, selects the necessary support and makes decisions about where and how to live, what activities to do and with whom to share their environment.
Integrated Assessment (Person, Family, Housing) and Life History
Begins from the principle that each person with a disability has the right to decide their lifestyle, their support needs, and their living arrangements. The project acknowledges that autonomy depends not only on the impairment, but on context — living situation, housing accessibility, mobility, social participation and personal goals. While the initiative may not systematically document “life histories” in a clinical sense, it affords each individual the right to design a personal life plan. By recognizing personal circumstances, preferences and aspirations — where and how to live, how to receive support, how to engage socially or professionally — the project implicitly treats each individual as a full subject with a unique life, not simply a beneficiary of assistance.
Personalised Care and Support Plan for the Life Project
Under this project, each person with disability is supported to build an Individual Life Project (a “Progetto Individuale”) — a tailored plan that outlines the supports, services and resources needed to live independently with dignity. This may include self-managed personal assistance (i.e. the person chooses their own assistant), support for mobility or accessible transport, housing adaptations or accessible housing options, social inclusion measures, support for employment or training, and measures to ensure full participation in community life. This personalised plan aligns assistance and resources to the person’s own life choices, not to a one-size-fits-all scheme.
Support groups
The project recognizes that independent living goes beyond personal assistance: social networks, peer relationships, community ties matter. Through its structure, the project encourages individuals to connect with other people with disabilities, share experiences, and build networks of mutual support. The idea is that people benefiting from the project can relate with peers, exchange information, support each other, and reduce social isolation. This community dimension enriches the experience of independence beyond mere services — it fosters belonging, solidarity and shared knowledge among people navigating similar challenges and choices.
Case Management and Resource Coordinator
To implement each Individual Life Project, the project relies on coordinated resources and support structures. The person with disability (or their representative) works with local social services or relevant institutions to assemble the necessary supports (personal assistant, accessible housing/options, transport, social inclusion, employment or training). This coordination ensures that the plan is realistic and sustainable, and that services are adapted to the person’s needs. The project thus plays a coordinating role — connecting individuals with assistants, services, benefits, housing solutions, mobility aids — ensuring that independent living becomes feasible in practice, not just in theory.
Highlined results
Improved autonomy, individual empowerment and expansion of the network of accessible resources at local level. The model has been replicated in other Italian regions as a reference for good practices.
Inspiring ideas for other enviorments. It can works! 😉
Progetto Vita Indipendente demonstrates that autonomy, dignity and social inclusion for people with disabilities can be grounded in a flexible, person-centred model. By combining individual choice (who assists you, where and how you live, what supports you receive), social support, accessibility solutions and community inclusion, the model shows a realistic path away from institutionalisation or passive assistance. This kind of project can be adapted in many contexts: regions, cities or countries that want to promote independent living — provided that there is commitment to funding, accessibility, social inclusion and respect for individual autonomy. It highlights that independent living isn’t a utopia, but a tangible possibility when policy, social services and community converge around human rights and dignity.
Other observations
Associazione Superamento Handicap