Global-Report-Living-Colour-dr2-2

Inclusive Communities = Stronger Communities
GLOBAL REPORT ON ARTICLE 19: THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY
103
including second order deinstitutionalization (See Table 10
below). Another challenge is the separation from
determining what a person wants and needs from the
provision of those services and supports. In far too many
places, eligibility and design of services and supports are
made by the same entity providing them. This is clearly a
conflict of interest. In other places people who have an
intellectual disabilities risk losing their place to live if they
don’t “behave”. This is entirely at the discretion of those in
charge and with no recourse. In yet other places, people
with intellectual disabilities remain segregated in large
workshops or day programmes which are dependent upon
the income from contracts for services with
businesses or income from government for
that person; thus the person who might want
to do other things with their life is denied the
choice and control to do so. For services and
supports to be truly person centric, money
from governments must be in tune with the
wants and needs of the person. The CRPD is
about the rights of persons with disability,
not the rights of organizations providing
services and supports. There is a big
difference.
In countries without institutions, efforts should
be made to help policymakers, advocates and national and
local governments determine and implement the path to
fulfillment of the promises of Article 19 without resorting to
building institutions. The temptation of creating large
places for people with intellectual disabilities to live is great
and on the surface a ready solution to supporting people.
However we know from countless studies, exposés, the
experience of policymakers and experts and conversations
with people who were previously institutionalized that
regardless of the amount of money spent, that institutions
by their very existence, separate and segregate people with
intellectual disabilities from their community, and from their
family. In addition, once an institution is built or remodeled
it takes decades, not years to build community capacity and
to get people out and eliminate the institution as an option.