Board members of a nonprofit independent living center partnering with VR ask what 'consumer control' has meant historically in disability services. Which explanation is most accurate?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Picture someone else packing your suitcase and telling you where you're going — that's custodial service. Independent living flipped the script: the traveler picks the destination and the supports. Consumer control is that leadership by people with disabilities over goals and services, not staff or doctors steering every choice.
Full Explanation
The independent living movement emphasized civil rights, peer support, and consumer control as correctives to medical and custodial models that positioned professionals as primary decision-makers. Historically, consumer control means people with disabilities direct service priorities, advocacy agendas, and living arrangements to the greatest extent possible. Board education should connect that philosophy to partnership roles with VR without equating IL centers to clinical gatekeeping or sheltered placement systems.