The family has a fundamental role in the autonomy, development and promotion of the inclusion and rights of your family member with disabilities.

According to the social model of disability, the problem is not in the person, but in the social contexts  and in the need to remove barriers (not only physical, but also attitudinal) and to empower the community, in order to ensure full participation by all people, with and without disabilities. According to this model, people with disabilities are no longer victims of an individual condition, but rather collective victims of an indifferent or, at best, poorly informed and unprepared society.

Thus, like any other citizen, people with disabilities have the right to ensure that their rights are respected, such as access to health and medical treatment, education, vocational training and rehabilitation, support and counselling and other services that allow them to develop their full potential and live their daily lives to the full.

You can consult the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, to learn more about the rights of persons with disabilities. This convention aims to “… to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.” (Article 1)

• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. See here.