Inclusion Europe: All people have the right to make their own decisions
Inclusion Europe has launched a website on practical models of supported decision-making
Being able to make decisions and feeling accountable for them is central to one’s self-esteem, and instrumental in how people perceive their quality of life. It is no wonder that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) states in Article 12 that all people with disabilities should “enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life.”
Most people with intellectual disabilities in Europe are, however, denied this right. As Prof. Theresia Degener, Vice-President of the UN CRPD Committee in charge of supervising the implementation of the treaty, said: “We have yet to find one country that has fully implemented the right to have and to exercise full legal capacity”. While all European Union member states have signed the CRPD, and all but three have ratified it, most still prevent people with intellectual disabilities from making decisions, labeling them as “incompetent” or “incapable” of doing so. Guardians are thus appointed to take decisions on behalf of the particular person, leaving the latter with no control over their life, and no voice in matters concerning them.
