Welcome to STIL – The Founders of Independent Living in Sweden
STIL is, in Swedish, short for The Founders of Independent Living in Sweden. Our organization was founded in 1984, by and with people with disabilities. We were the first in Sweden to offer personal assistance.
STIL’s goal is for everyone to be in control of their own life. Personal assistance is the criterion to guarantee everyone’s right to live their life the way they want. You should decide who your assistants are, when they work, what they assist you with, and when and how it will be done.
This is self-determination. Self-determination is about you being able to be yourself and live your life however you want. As a member of STIL, you are the supervisor of your personal assistants, making you the protagonist of your own life.
STIL has supervisors all across Sweden. STIL’s members are of different ages, have various needs and living conditions. You do not need to know everything about personal assistance to become a member. In your role as a supervisor of your own assistance, you will get as much or as little help as you need. There are supervisors who need a lot of support to have the best quality in their assistance, and there are supervisors who need less.
STIL is the initiator behind LSS; an entitlement law guaranteeing support for persons with disabilities. Since 1984, we have stayed true to our vision of what personal assistance is. You have the right to be in control of your own life. STIL is a cooperative without profit. Everyone on our board have personal assistance, as well as many of the people working at our office.