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Inclusive Communities = Stronger Communities
GLOBAL REPORT ON ARTICLE 19: THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY
enables inclusion and participation. For people with
intellectual disabilities, while some specific
accommodations are necessary and may improve access to
the community, there is no service or support that will
enable full inclusion. It is not sufficient to provide a child
with an intellectual disabilities with physical access to a
classroom nor is it sufficient to give them a teacher’s
assistant. Real inclusion requires a reorganization of the
classroom, curriculum and teaching strategies. Similarly,
real inclusion in the community requires the
transformation of communities; education systems, labour
market, political systems, transportation systems, etc.
For people with sensory or physical
disabilities there has been a strong push for
“Independence”. The Independent Living
movement has emphasized the individual’s
right to live independently and to
determine for themselves the life they want
to live. Article 19 refers to the right to live
“independently” and be included in the
community. However the word
independent is often misused to mean
alone or without support and for people
with intellectual disabilities and their
families it can create a barrier to inclusion. If
a person cannot live “independently” then
they are considered not capable of living
and participating in the community. In order to live
“independently” people with intellectual disabilities need
support and need to have relationships with their families
and others who enable them to live and be included in the
community.
Although Inclusion International’s name, our mission
statement, and the CRPD all mention inclusion, it is in
many ways a concept that is not well understood. In our
mission statement we make it clear that inclusion is
different from supports and services. Supports and