Personal assistance in support of people with disabilities's independence

The study provides information concerning starting-points, goals, content, and results of research aimed at the independence phenomenon in the life of heavy physically handicapped people and the supportive function of personal assistance in independence raising. 243 respondents aged minimally 18 years took part in the study, 147 of them were severe physically handicapped what resulted in the dependence on help of other person in providing everyday activities. The control group was formed by 96 respondents without health handicap. The author studied the differences in reflected measure of own independence in lives of heavy physically handicapped respondents and respondents without health handicap and the differences in the inner phenomenology (content) of independence, reflecting both the independence supporting sources, and the independence restricting sources. The author was interested in these differences even in the group of heavy physically handicapped respondents depending on the employed form of help. The results of personal assistance users were compared to those of users of different, classical forms of help (care service, care of close relatives, care in the house of social services). The results of the investigation were compared to findings of experts engaged in the problems in the context of psychology, social science, social policy and social work.