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Inclusive Communities = Stronger Communities
GLOBAL REPORT ON ARTICLE 19: THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY
where people with intellectual disabilities live, one
hundred percent of our members who responded to the
country survey indicated that the vast majority of people
with intellectual disabilities in their countries live at home
with their families.
While access to formal services for people with intellectual
disabilities vary across regions and countries, the primary
source of support that people with intellectual disabilities
receive wherever they live in the world is from their
families. Yet families consistently reported that they receive
little or no assistance (financial support, services,
information or planning support). This means we need to
understand both the individual’s need for services and
supports at home in the community but also we need to
understand the needs of the family in fulfilling their role as
caregivers, advocates and as the economic and social link
to the community.
Supports to the Individual
For people with intellectual disabilities the kinds of
supports and services which they need to function and
participate in their communities vary greatly across
cultures and regions and by the nature of support the
individual wants and needs. For our purposes we refer to
disability related services, financial assistance, information
and planning provided or funded by governments as
formal supports and unpaid assistance provided by
families, neighbors, friends and others in the community
as informal supports.
Supports may be focused on the person with an
intellectual disabilities, or on the family or both. They can
include assistive devices and physical aids but more often
they are assistance with personal care, support in
education or employment, support in decision making or
support in housekeeping, preparing meals or managing
finances. The type and availability of services and supports