Why is it important to live independently when others think you can’t? That’s a question best asked of Brandy Clark.

Clark, 37, lives with limitations and disabilities caused by spina bifada. So why the preference for independent living over institutional care?

“Home is the space where you can be yourself, enjoy the things you like and have neighbors and friends over,” said Clark, who has an upbeat personality in spite of her health constraints. Institutional and group living situations are noisy, and you are continually compromising to accommodate the needs of others. I don’t have to do that here.”

Clark shares an apartment in the Adagio complex in Covington with a roommate. “I like it because it is close to everything,” said Clark, who enjoys getting out to Covington’s central shopping area when her health allows. Within Adagio, she’s involved in a community outreach project.

Clark manages to live independently through the support of Total Living Concept (TLC), a south King County-area non-profit agency where she sometimes works. TLC, which has 28 clients, allows people living with disabilities to have homes of their own.

Lyle Romer, executive director of TLC, stated, “We are all interdependent, some more than others. We all treasure our private space, the place we call home. People living with disabilities have the same desires. We provide a structure for interdependency that is tailored to the needs” of clients.

Depending on their needs and abilities, clients live alone, with roommates or paid overnight helpers. During the day, from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., a TLC support staff member keeps Clark company and helps her. Clark’s roommate is home during the night and can summon help in case of emergency.

About the time Clark turned 21, Clark’s mother knew she was overwhelmed caring for her daughter and that they both needed help. After several situations that weren’t working, they found TLC 13 years ago.

When working at TLC, Clark organizes the scheduling of CPR classes, answers the phone and sends out birthday remembrances.

In her spare time, Clark likes watching re-runs of old TV classics such as “I Love Lucy” and “Full House” and eating her favorite food – pizza, macaroni and cheese, and any dessert “with Oreos in it.” Her least favorite thing? “Like everyone else – paying bills,” she said. “But I do it once a month – the rent, lights, and cable.”

Supported-living services cost less than congregated and institutionalized living, according to TLC.

In addition to Covington, the Kent-based agency’s 100-plus staff members serve clients in seven cities in the county’s south end.

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