Art.19 Living Independently and Being Included in the Community

Abstract

This chapter examines Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). ‘Living independently and being included in the community’, is one of the most important rights in the CRPD, since choice, freedom, and inclusion are considered as prerequisites for exercising all other rights. To facilitate such autonomy and participation, it requires ratifying states to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to choose where and with whom they live; and that they have access to the range of services necessary to support community living and to prevent isolation or segregation. Living independently does not mean living alone; rather, it means exercising freedom of choice and control over decisions affecting one’s life with the same level of independence and interdependence within society on an equal basis with other.