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Inclusive Communities = Stronger Communities
GLOBAL REPORT ON ARTICLE 19: THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY
themselves to raise awareness, to make demands of
governments and to claim their rightful place in
communities. However, not everyone’s voice is heard;
those who remain in institutions, those in parts of the
world where self-advocacy is not yet supported or
understood and those who cannot communicate in ways
that people outside of their closest supporters can
understand are all still ignored or unheard.
Today, family based organizations serve a global
movement of people with intellectual disabilities and their
families that has advocated for a vision of “a world where
people with intellectual disabilities and their families can
equally participate and be valued in all aspects of
community life.” 1
During the negotiations of the UN CRPD
Inclusion International was mandated by its
members to ensure that the perspective
and priorities of people with intellectual
disabilities and their families was reflected
in the Convention. The real impact that the
voice of self-advocates and families had on
the Convention was not the inclusion of a
list of specific accommodations for people
with intellectual disabilities but rather a
shift in understanding that clearly calls on
governments and societies to take
responsibility for building inclusion. The
Convention is about more than ramps and laws, it is about
building inclusive societies, schools, labour markets and
communities. The shift towards inclusion which is
reflected in the CRPD is the legacy of the inclusion
movement.
The challenge we have now is to consider our role in
making change happen at the local, national and
international levels. The activities and mandates of family
based organizations that are the members of Inclusion
International reflect the demands and needs expressed by
people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
However, in attempting to address these immediate and