People with disabilities want to have more of a say in decisions that affect them, such as where to live. With the slogan “Nothing about us, without us”, a hundred demonstrators mobilized on Saturday in Lausanne.
During the day, several actions were carried out to “shake the coconut tree”. In the city centre, the public could in particular test an awareness course in a wheelchair, discover auxiliary means or even meet an assistance dog.
The “Living Books” operation where a person gives their “life story” live has been a great success. “Some people came out in tears from these face-to-face encounters without voyeurism,” Anne-Catherine Reymond, secretary general of Cap-Contact, a mutual aid association in French-speaking Switzerland, told Keystone-ATS on Saturday.
The high point of the event, an inclusive procession gathered in the rain around fifty people, including disabled people with their families and companions. Several of them had taken place on a chariot pulled by a tractor, or a carriage drawn by two horses. “It’s my life, it’s my choice” or “Care at home please” headlined signs and banners.
No other choice than the institution
According to associations, people with disabilities often feel left behind. Switzerland is still far from meeting the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which it has nevertheless signed.
Its article 19 guarantees the right to an independent life, which implies that the persons concerned have access to local assistance and support services. “Which is unfortunately often not the case, people having no choice but to go to an institution,” explained Anne-Catherine Reymond.
The number of places in socio-educational establishment (ESE) is increasing when it should drop, according to the manager. “Too often the money goes to the institutions. The beneficiary remains the poor relation of the system. He still has very little say”.
Adhere to the small protocol
The associations ask Switzerland to adhere to the small optional protocol of the convention, which is more restrictive. It makes it possible to appeal to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, when the Swiss courts do not enter into the matter or reject the requests.
“I know the case of a young person with an intellectual disability who is going to be changed from institution against his will. If Switzerland had adhered to the small protocol, we could have taken the case higher,” explains Ms. Reymond.
A petition calling for this membership has been launched. It aims to collect some 10,000 signatures by mid-October.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats