THE
RIGHT OF CHOICE – TRUE-LIFE PERSONAL STORIES
L.
Berkman
Akim
Israel
It is clear to any
adult and his surroundings, that he is authorized to
make decisions in
regard to his own life. When relating to an
intellectually
disabled person, this authority is taken away from him on
the appointment of
a guardian who then makes decisions regarding
his/her affairs and
upon/her entering into a residential framework.
Many parents, who
serve as guardians, act as they see proper and
correct on behalf
of their child – without taking the true wishes of their
child into account.
This is also true in many instances regarding
professional
factors in the residential framework. Self advocacy –
'Nothing about us,
without us', i.e. the ability and right of an
intellectually
disabled person to make decisions in regard to his/her
life - starting
with the clothes that they wear, the food that they eat,
and ending with the
occupational and residential framework where
they will live - is
still unclear and misunderstood and other people,
whether a guardian
or professional factors – still make the decisions of
the intellectually
disabled person, without consulting with him/her
regarding the
quandary and decision. In the course of the meeting, the
personal stories of
two intellectually disabled persons will be
presented – people
who decided to take charge of their own destiny
and made decisions
regarding their own places of residence and the
occupational
framework where they would work. Their stories will be
presented by way of
interviews with the individuals personally and with
their family
members. In the framework of each interview, the
intellectually
disabled person will present his/her personal story,
desires and
decisions. The guardians of these individuals, their
parents, will
present the dilemmas and necessary family preparations
in order to act in
accordance with such desires.
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