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Inclusive Communities = Stronger Communities
GLOBAL REPORT ON ARTICLE 19: THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY
aspects of community life. With its member societies,
Inclusion International acts as an agent for change on the
basis of four main principles affecting the lives of people
with an intellectual disabilities and their families:
• Inclusion in all aspects of everyday society
• Full citizenship which respects individual human
rights responsibilities
• Self-determination in order to have control over the
decisions affecting one’s life
• Family support through adequate services and
support networks to families with a member with a
disability
As a result of our involvement in the CRPD
negotiations, these principles are reflected
throughout the Convention.
For us, Article 19 is more than just the
articulation of a human right. It provides
us with a framework to understand what
the right means, how policies to support
that right should be developed and
implemented and how to monitor
progress. Our members report that despite
good examples and practices, there is no
country in the world where the goals of
living and being included in the community have been
fully achieved for people with intellectual disabilities.
In the absence of services and natural supports in the
community and the failure of communities to build
inclusive systems, the vast majority of people with
intellectual disabilities around the world depend on their
families for lifelong support and care. Relationships then
become central to our vision of living “independently” and
being included in the community; both the relationship
between individuals and their families and the relationship
of individuals and families to their communities.