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Article 19 - Living independently and being included in the community
Background Documents | Article 19 Background
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Sixth Session
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Non-governmental organizations
Governments
Article 15
Titre : Si l’approche de donner un titre à chaque article est maintenue, ce qui n’est pas le cas dans la plupart des conventions Onusiennes1 mais dont l’option offre l’avantage de donner une meilleure lisibilité au texte2 , l’intitulé suivant est proposé : « Autonomie et intégration sociale ».
Le terme « autonomie » qui fait appel à un renforcement des capacités (empowerment) en vue de mener une vie normale est préféré à celui d’ « indépendance » qui pourrait induire des attitudes de marginalisation ou de non inclusion.
Alinéa 1 : En tenant compte de toutes les propositions déjà faites par divers pays quant au paragraphe qui tient lieu de chapeau de l’alinéa 1 de l’article 5, la délégation camerounaise propose la formulation synthétique suivante :
« Les Etats parties à la présente convention prennent toutes les mesures appropriées afin de permettre aux personnes handicapées de mener une vie la plus autonome possible et de pouvoir s’intégrer pleinement dans la société, notamment en adoptant des mesures visant à s’assurer que … » :
Alinéa 1 (a et b) : Les propositions faites dans l’alinéa 1 (a et b) de l’article 15 mettent l’accent sur la liberté que devraient avoir les handicapés de choisir leur lieu de résidence et leur mode de vie, notamment le choix de ne pas vivre en établissement.
Si la vie en établissement ne devrait être envisagée que comme une exigence liée aux besoins de rééducation fonctionnelle ou de réadaptation3 et non comme une forme d’institutionnalisation permanente voire de marginalisation / exclusion de la personne handicapée, il reste que le principe exprimé de la liberté de choix du lieu de résidence, surtout dans le contexte des pays en voie de développement faisant face aux contraintes d’ajustements structurels, se heurte aux dures réalités de la faiblesse du pouvoir d’achat des populations en général et des personnes handicapées en particulier.
Il serait donc irréaliste voire illusoire d’engager ainsi tous les Etats sans tenir compte des niveaux de développement respectifs. A cet égard, la délégation camerounaise suggère non seulement que les paragraphes (a) et (b) de l’article 15 (1) soient fusionnés, mais aussi que l’engagement des Etats soit formulé de manière plus flexible. On pourrait ainsi avoir la formulation suivante :
« Les Etats parties s’efforcent4 de mettre en place des mesures permettant aux personnes handicapées de choisir leur lieu de résidence et d’adopter leur mode de vie, dans le respect de l’ordre public et des bonnes mœurs internes ».
Alinéa 1 (b) bis Si ce paragraphe qui fait allusion au droit de l’enfant handicapé à une famille revêt une importance fondamentale, la famille étant la cellule de base naturelle de la société et l’univers de la première socialisation de l’enfant, il est suggéré, afin de ne pas voir cette préoccupation, que cet alinéa soit intégré et mis en exergue dans l’article 16 qui traite spécifiquement des personnes handicapées de façon holistique.
Alinéa 1 (c), (d), (d) bis et alinéa 2 : Les idées émises dans ces dispositions peuvent être synthétisées et regroupées dans un alinéa 2 qui se présenterait ainsi qu’il suit :
Alinéa 2 (nouveau) : « Les Etats parties prennent toutes les mesures appropriées pour :
a) permettre aux personnes handicapées d’avoir accès à :
i) une gamme de services individuels à domicile, toute assistance de nature à les aider à vivre et à s’intégrer dans la communauté et ne pas souffrir d’isolement ou de ségrégation.
ii) tous les services collectifs destinés à l’ensemble de la population, au même titre que les autres personnes, mais de manière adaptée à leurs besoins.
b) apporter aux familles qui ont en charge les personnes handicapées le soutien psychologique, matériel et financier nécessaire pour assurer l’autonomie et l’intégration des handicapés dans la société.
c) faciliter l’accès des personnes handicapées, de leurs familles et des personnes qui en ont la charge aux renseignements sur les services individuels ou collectifs de soutien.
EL SALVADOR
Revised Proposal for Article 15 (par. A & B)
"People with disabilities have the equal opportunity to choose their place
of residence and are not obligued to live in an institution or in a particular
living arrangement, unless being neccesary".
EUROPEAN UNION
European Union Proposal for Article 15
1. States Parties to this Convention shall take effective and appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and be fully included in the community, including by ensuring that:
EU Proposal: Para 1 in Chapeau to read “States Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate the enjoyment by persons with disabilities of independent living [or living independently] and full inclusion as members of the community including measures aimed at ensuring that:”
(a) persons with disabilities have the equal opportunity to choose their place of residence and living arrangements;
(b) persons with disabilities are not obliged to live in an institution or in a particular living arrangement;
EU Proposal: Move (b) to article 10
(c) that persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home, residential and other community support services, including personal assistance, necessary to support living and inclusion in the community, and to prevent isolation or segregation from the community;
EU Proposal: Delete (c)
(d) community services for the general population are available on an equal basis to persons with disabilities and are responsive to their needs;
EU Proposal: Replace “on an equal basis” with “without discrimination”.
(e) persons with disabilities have access to information about available support services.
NEW ZEALAND
Revised Proposals for Article 15
1 August 2005 - Ad Hoc Committee 6
Amendments to the Working Group Text
1. States Parties reaffirm the right of persons with disabilities to liberty
of movement and freedom to choose their residence. States Parties shall ensure
persons with disabilities are able to determine where and with whom they live
on an equal basis with others.
(new paragraph 1 derived from Article 12 (1) ICCPR)
a. persons with disabilities have the equal opportunity to choose their place
of residence and living arrangements;
b. persons with disabilities are not obliged to live in an institution or
in a particular living arrangement;
2. States Parties to this Convention shall take effective and appropriate
measures to the maximum extent of their available resources to enable persons
with disabilities to live in, independently and participate to be fully included
in the community on an equal basis with others, including by ensuring that:
en f
(derived from chapeau of Article 15 of the Working Group text)
c. that persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home, residential
and other community support services, including personal assistance, necessary
to support living and inclusion in the community, and to prevent isolation
or segregation from the community;
c bis support services are provided to persons with disabilities in a manner that recognises their autonomy, individuality and dignity, and the diversity of their disabilities;
d. community services and facilities for the general population are available on an equal basis to persons with disabilities and are responsive to their needs;
d bis persons with disabilities enjoy mobility with the greatest possible
independence for persons with disabilities, including by facilitating access
by persons with disabilities to high-quality mobility aids, devices, assistive
technologies and forms of live assistance and intermediaries; including by
making them available at affordable cost
(derived from Article 20, the chapeau and 20.a of the Working Group text)
e. persons with disabilities have access to information about available support
services, and facilities;
e bis persons with disabilities have opportunities for economic development
and financial independence, including opportunities to rent, own or inherit
property, to control their own financial affairs, and to have equal access
to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit on an equal basis
with others.
(derived from Article 9.e of the working group text).
COMPLETE NEW ZEALAND PROPOSED TEXT FOR ARTICLE 15
1. States Parties reaffirm the right of persons with disabilities to liberty
of movement and freedom to choose their residence. States Parties shall ensure
persons with disabilities are able to determine where and with whom they
live on an equal basis with others.
2. States Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures to the maximum extent of their available resources to enable persons with disabilities to live and participate fully in the community on an equal basis with others. Such measures shall ensure in particular that:
a. persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home, residential and other community support services, including personal assistance, necessary to support living and inclusion in the community, and to prevent isolation or segregation from the community;
b. support services are provided to persons with disabilities in a manner that recognises their autonomy, individuality and dignity, and the diversity of their disabilities;
c. community services and facilities for the general population are available on an equal basis to persons with disabilities and are responsive to their needs;
d. persons with disabilities enjoy mobility with the greatest possible independence, including by facilitating access to high-quality mobility aids, devices, assistive technologies and forms of live assistance and intermediaries;
e. persons with disabilities have access to information about services, and facilities;
f. persons with disabilities have opportunities for financial independence, including opportunities to rent, own or inherit property, to control their own financial affairs, and to have access to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit on an equal basis with others.
Art 15 : LIVING INDEPENDENTLY [/INTERDEPENDENTLY-insert]
AND BEING [INCLUDED - delete] [ INTEGRATED – insert] IN THE COMMUNITY
1. State Parties to this Convention shall take effective and appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and be fully [included – delete] [integrated – insert] in the community, including by ensuring that;
(a) persons with disabilities have the equal opportunity to choose their place of residence and living arrangements [,either independent or interdependent – add]
(c ) that persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home, residential
and other community support services, including assistance, necessary to support
living and [inclusion – delete] [integration – insert] in the community,
and to prevent isolation or segregation from the community
Non-governmental organizations
ARAB ORGANIZATION OF DISABLED PEOPLE
With respect to Article 15, AODP believes that the most important issues to be adhered to are the following three:
1. Since we are considering a special Agreement for people with disabilities,
we must take care that the convention should be of clear wording and connotation
as regards granting people with disabilities their full freedom and their right
to make their own personal decisions with respect to choosing the services
and facilities they are in need of, and wish to make use of.
2. The Agreement talks of stages or steps of implementation, and AODP is convinced
that such approach is sound and correct in general; however, we hope that the
word "stages" or "steps" does not turn out to become a
justification for delaying and stalling the implementation process. In this
case we will encounter a new obstacle along the road of implementing the Agreement.
3. AODP agrees to what is included in the title of Article 15 as put forward
by the Working Group, provided it is clear that independent living and integration
are not diametrically opposed. Independent living or independence to us means
the right of a person with disability to take all decisions that are related
to his/her own affairs, as well as the right to act in accordance with what
he/she sees fit and fulfilling his/her own interests. Integration to community
means that a person with disability can lead a normal social life enjoying
all his/her rights and carrying on all his/her duties.
Bizchut – The Israel Human Rights Center for People with Disabilities
August 2005
Living in the community is indeed about choosing the place of residence,
freedom of movement and mobility. But it is not only about that. If another,
most basic element is not recognized and added, a great loophole remains
which allows for continuing referral and placement of people with disabilities
in institutions.
One of the biggest hurdles to living in the community is the underlying assumption –
- that not all people with disabilities can, or are able to live in the community;
- that for some people it is better to live in an institution, and they will
not benefit from living in the community.
Therefore, so this underlying assumption says, not all people with disabilities
have a right to live in the community.
This underlying assumption translates into policy: Even if people are not coerced, by force, to live in an institution, this is the only real choice they are offered.
For example, with regard to persons with severe intellectual disabilities, the State will often offer aid only if they live in an institution. These persons are not coerced to live in an institution, they are not deprived of mobility, they are free to choose where to be. But in fact they are obliged to live in an institution, because that is the only choice really offered to them. In Israel, for example, thousands of people with disabilities still live in institutions for just this very reason. We believe this is so in most other countries.
Here is where we support New Zealand’s comment: This article is, should be, about moving away from institutionalization; that, whether obliged, or not obliged - living in an institution conflicts with equality, inclusion.
However, does this article adequately encompass this principle? Is it enough to speak about freedom of mobility, of freedom to choose place of residence?
We are concerned that the answer is – no.
We are concerned that what is missing is recognition of
the right of every person with disability to live in the community. This is, after all, one
of the most fundamental human rights. If it is not recognized, if some persons
are still deemed unable, unfit, undeserving to live in the community, how
can we talk about inclusion in the workplace, in education?
Therefore, the article must open with the very basic right of every person with a disability to live in the community. Only after that is ensured, is there any meaning to freedom to choose one’s place of residence and freedom of mobility.