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While service providers' main focus on consumers is service/consumer related, consumers' interests are broader: they are concerned with rights, empowerment and appropriate support to meet people's needs. This article considers why people with disability are under-represented in the running of services and the implications of that. It refutes the argument that people who are involved with disabled people's and service users' organisations are unrepresentative of service users as a whole. The authors' experiences have led them to believe that people with disability are more likely to be empowered by participating in initiatives outside, rather than from within, the service system. Keyword: Self Determination