According to Article 19(a) of UN Convention of Rights for Persons with Disabilities, persons with an impairment should “have the opportunity to choose their place of residence and where and with whom they live on an equal basis with other” and should not be “obliged to live in a particular living arrangement”. Persons with disability do not require “homes for the disabled”; they require support while continue to live in their own community. Although located in the community, group homes can easily become a smaller version of institutions (European Network on Independent Living – December 2013).
With regards the same above mentioned right, the European Disability Forum (EDF) states that a person can for example choose to live in an alternative residential option or with his family at home. However, personal tailored alternative supported living options in the community need to be available before a real choice between different options can be made. When no real alternatives are available in the community, an adult person might find him or herself in segregating living arrangements against his/her own will or to be ‘institutionalised’ in his/her own home. Another result can be that adults with a disability have no other option than being completely dependent on their parents and family.
Persons with disabilities must be able to refuse living in a particular living arrangement or receiving forced services or treatment, at home or in institutions. In this respect, real choice options and real alternatives to institutions need to be provided in the community in order to enable all persons with disabilities to live how, where and with whom they want.
The support should be provided in the community, at the place where the disabled person has chosen to live. The person should not be forced to live where the services are provided.
A comprehensive personal assistance support in all aspects of life should be ensured: personal assistance should be accessible for all persons with disabilities, irrespective of one’s income and type of impairment, freely chosen in its organizational form and independent of one’s place of residence. Personal assistance should be understood as it was invented and developed by disabled people themselves. This means the user can choose directly his own personal assistant, decide how, where and when to be assisted (Community for All Persons with Disabilities, EDF, March 2014).
The Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD) is the national umbrella organization for the disability sector. MFOPD is the Malta representative on the European Network on Independent Living and on the European Disability Forum. MFOPD has repeatedly brought to the attention of the authorities concerned about their continuous lack of involving MFOPD in discussions at all levels on all that relates to the disability sector. The need and importance of involvement of NGOs is emphasized in the UNCRPD. This lack of involvement is bringing about negative results.
MFOPD wants to start seeing value for the money being spent in the disability sector.
Marthese Mugliette is president, Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability