On 5 May, which was European Independent Living Day, Vincenzo Falabella, the president of FISH (Italian Federation for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Families), gave a speech about the right to independent living. In his speech, he said that this right is very important in a democracy, and that living independently is one of the best ways to express freedom.

Independent living means being in control of your daily choices. This includes where to live, with whom to live, what kind of help you get, which job or career you choose, and how you take part in your community's social and cultural life. It is the chance to live with dignity, self-determination and freedom, no matter what disability you have, and on an equal basis with others, as stated in Article 19 (Independent Living and Inclusion in Society) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This also says that countries must provide the necessary support and remove any obstacles to achieving these rights.

In Italy, we made a big step forward with the approval of the Delegated Law 227/21 and especially with the Decree 62/24 (Definition of the condition of disability, basic assessment, reasonable accommodation, multidimensional assessment for the elaboration and implementation of the individual customised and participated life project). This finally defines the Life Project as a unique and central tool for achieving self-determined paths.

A key set of rules has now been set up to make the idea of Independent Living a reality. But, as the FISH points out, public governments need to raise their awareness in order to implement 'structured plans with stable and targeted funding to make Independent Living a real possibility in every territory', thus enabling real social development by creating more 'equitable' contexts and effecting a profound cultural change that puts the individual at the centre.