2.2 Quality of Life, autonomy and empowerment

The paradigm change from a medical model to a social model brought new light to the role of the user himself when choosing technical aid. Autonomy is a key word and all efforts must be made to empower end-users to make conscious and informed choices about what he/she thinks is best. This is perhaps not a relevant point when we consider most of the situations of cerebral palsy is this project, but it still is an important issue to follow.

Autonomy does not mean you do not depend on others to help accomplish tasks or reach your goals. Having autonomy is not about being able to do stuff all by yourself but having the power to decide what happens next in your life. Or even more specifically, it’s about having the *perceived* power to do so, and that what is called "empowerment"