Find the meaning of the words in bold in the dictionary at the end of the document.
On the 15th of November,
Senada gave a speech on legal capacity at
It is very important that every
person can decide about their own life.
Many people with intellectual disabilities
in Europe and in the world are still
deprived of legal capacity.
People with intellectual disabilities
are not allowed to bring any
decisions about their own lives.
For example:
- They cannot decide about marriage
- They cannot decide about employment
- They cannot manage their property (land)
It is clear that persons who do not
have legal capacity are not equal
to everyone else in the world.
Very often guardians make all the
important decisions instead of persons
who do not have legal capacity.
It is not right to take out legal capacity
from people with intellectual disabilities
because sometimes they need
People with intellectual disabilities
need support that will help them
make good decisions on their own.
People with intellectual disabilities
need support that will explain the options
and consequences of their decisions.
And not someone who will decide for
people with intellectual disabilities.
People who support should always ask
people with intellectual disabilities for
their opinion and not decide for them.
The decisions of people with intellectual disabilities
are decisions about their own lives.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities
protects the legal capacity of
all persons with disabilities.
Article 12 of the Convention states
that supported decision making
should be available to all persons
regardless of the type and degree of disability.
The European Union and its
members accepted the Convention.
But, guardianship still exists in
many countries of the European Union.
There are still many people with
do not have legal capacity.
And few people with intellectual disabilities
have legal capacity and support for
Change takes time,
but it has been 15 years since
the adoption of the UN Convention.
People with intellectual disabilities
are still waiting for politicians
to show a real and honest intention
to change guardianship.
It would be a really big step towards
equality and full inclusion of people
with intellectual disabilities in the community.
