03/30/2026
A service can provide supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. But it cannot be the life. It cannot replace friendship. It cannot substitute for freedom. It cannot stand in for love.
Too often, disability services are built around managing people, keeping them "busy", keeping them "compliant", keeping them "safe". But people don’t grow under management. They grow in freedom. In trust. In community.
“I want a life, not a service” is not just a critique of how things are, it’s a demand. A demand to be seen as a full human being, not a bundle of needs.
If we truly believe in inclusion, if we truly believe in rights, we need to stop building better services and start asking:
What does it take for someone to have a real life?
And then do that.
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ID: Image shows a man smiling giving a thumbs up. Words read: I want a life not a service.