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
83
the focus groups for this report felt
abandoned by the father. A mother
from Namibia complained that a child
with disability is “always the mother’s
child”, not the father’s.
In high income countries the state also
invests in the building of organizations
of families of persons with disabilities
so that they can play the role
recognized in the CRPD of
contributing to the full and equal
enjoyment of the rights of their family member with a
disability. Parent organizations in Africa have
received such support from Norway, Sweden and
Finland in particular.
As the mother of a child with autism, I’ve seen my
social circle shrink over the last ten years. I’ve fallen
out of touch with friends and family while I devote all
of my spare time to fighting for the services my son
needs. It’s no one’s fault, really—it’s just hard to go
out for a coffee or invite someone over for dinner
when you live with someone with autism, and that
reality takes a slow but steady toll on social
relationships. I’ve learned to live with it, and many
people who were a huge part of my life in the past
have now drifted away. 6
One of the implications of the CRPD for persons with
an intellectual disabilities is the need to focus not
only on supports and services for the individual who
has a disability but to focus on the family as well. In
most situations, families are the constant in a person’s
life and so the individual who has an intellectual
disabilities may be helped the most when his or her
family is supported so that they can continue to
provide the love, care and attention that their family
member needs and has a right to receive.
Photo: Ulrich Eigner
MALAWI The school however, was not
so easy. The Principal told me that all
Sami needs is a kick in the butt and
some good old discipline. I resigned from
my full time job as an early childhood
supervisor and took a part time job in
order to help the KG teacher with Sami
and the other children. I soon realized
that having an ADHD child in the
classroom is a nightmare to an
inexperienced teacher. At night, I
attended Special Needs in EEC classes in
order to learn more on behavior
modification. I would come back and
translate them to my husband who was
French educated.