It has already been shown that the shortest distance between two dots is that of the straight line” – one could read on a loose sheet from the exhibition of Aran-Santamaría “Hostoz hostoz”, which is still about to investigate is the other, which is the longest distance between two dots”. This paragraph, which can be used to reflect on the postulates raised by Euclides in mathematics, could also be a reflection on the distance that is taking place among individuals in the last year. Because sometimes, the collectives we've had physically close to us have treated them as if we were at immense distances.

In the months prior to the outbreak of the Pandemic alarm situation, I had the opportunity to learn about the Independent Life Program of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, which aims to guarantee the right to make decisions on key issues of life for people with physical disabilities or in situations of dependency. These subsidies are intended, in addition to facilitating life on a daily basis, to enable decision-making power over the place and the way in which these people want to live, by means of one-off contracts. Many of those who disseminate and promote this initiative claim the right for the majority of society to have the same opportunities to decide. Moreover, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations and used as an international instrument for human rights, clearly states that the autonomy and independence of each individual is essential to have freedom of decision.

Initiatives to promote Independent Living have also been launched in other Autonomous Communities in recent years. It is interesting, for example, that among the conclusions of the work that analyzes the economic and social effects of the Andalusian program published in 2017, there is talk of dignity, that is, of the personal development implied by free decision-making. In addition, the interviewed users commented that this freedom also reinforced their social and political rights, promoting social participation.

However, in addition to the qualitative evaluations, econometric analyses have also been carried out in order to calculate the social value affected by the program. According to the analysis published in 2014 by the Social Affairs Department of the Community of Madrid, for every EUR 100 invested by the administration in the programme, contributions related to taxation and social security were counted at EUR 92. Moreover, if we count the user’s income and expenses, with the same amount of investment, he said that the return would be 132 euros.

Even though the numbers are minimal, those who are in this situation are those who are attached to Independent Life. They are often found in residences and family care, and in these studies it is mentioned that these models are more limited in terms of freedom of decision: on the one hand, because the daily life of the residences, in general, has more concrete guidelines (schedules, entrances and exits, meals…), and on the other, because family care can also condition personal preferences. This collective has been historically viewed from the perspective of mercy, something that is still manifested in various discourses. Charity moves us away from the prism of rights, and instead of the direct gaze of empathy, we tend to divert the soa, creating two straight lines that never come together.