“People think they know what is best for people with disabilities"

“Everyone has the right to be the author of their destiny”-Melissa Ryan.

It’s 10 years since the UN established a convention on rights for people with disabilities, but we are still far away from achieving equality

In many countries – both developing and supposedly developed – people with disabilities continue to be locked up in institutions, hidden out of sight or treated like animals. And stigma and discrimination play a central role.

Chances are you know someone with a disability. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 billion people – one in seven – have some form of disability. They are our classmates, relatives and friends, and they have the right to be treated the same as everyone else.

Yet, laws in dozens of countries prevent people with disabilities from deciding whom to marry, where to own a home, or what medical treatment they prefer. These are decisions that are often taken for granted by us, but in some places people with disabilities have this right handed over to a guardian, who makes all their decisions without consulting them.

The CRPD has now been ratified by 164 countries. The treaty is far more than a legal framework. Yes, it sets out the right to equal access to education, freedom from torture, and the right to live with peers in the community. But even more critical is the convention’s potential to shift the way we think about disability.

It conveys that people with disabilities are not objects of charity, but have the same rights and dignities we all do.

The challenge of changing the mindset of millions around the world remains. To start, we need to see more people with disabilities in leadership and decision-making roles – in governments, companies and the entertainment sector.

In addition to amending discriminatory laws, governments need to make sure that disability rights are enforced through better monitoring and resources invested in rights-respecting alternatives to institutions and isolation cells. And people with disabilities themselves and their representative organisations should be involved every step of the way.

We need to keep in mind that disability does not discriminate – any one of us can join the disability community at any point in our lives. It’s not about them, it’s about us.

People with disability routinely experience being called ‘inferior’, ‘a burden’, or ‘a menace’. They say they are subject to assumptions that they are ‘of no value’, ‘not fully human’, ‘objects of pity’, ‘eternal children’ or ‘better off dead’.

Despite being capable of making decisions, people with disabilities often feel like their voices are unheard. They may feel like decisions are taken out of their hands and they’re not in charge.

Not only is this frustrating and upsetting, but it also impacts on how they live their life and the experiences they have.

Independent decision making enables us all to be involved in things we love. It increases our participation in communities and gives us a sense of control at work and home. It can also impact on how others perceive us and our overall health.

The most important thing about independent decision making however is the personal feeling of dignity, self-expression and self-determination. That’s something that no one should be denied, inclusive of disabled people who may require additional assistance when making decisions.

At a UN Convention discussing the rights of persons with disabilities, it was stressed that, ‘People with disabilities have the same rights as everyone to make decisions about their lives, including the right to take risks and make mistakes.’

“Respect for the freedom to make choices should be accorded to all persons with disabilities, no matter how much support they need,” said Theresia Degener from the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

“People with disabilities, including those with psychosocial or cognitive impairments, must be supported in making decisions, and not have decisions made for them, even when it is thought to be in their ‘best interests’.”