A/HRC/10/48 page 16 disability, they are to be considered discriminatory and in violation of the prohibition of deprivation of liberty on the grounds of disability, and the right to liberty on an equal basis with others prescribed by article 14. 49. Legislation authorizing the institutionalization of persons with disabilities on the grounds of their disability without their free and informed consent must be abolished. This must include the repeal of provisions authorizing institutionalization of persons with disabilities for their care and treatment without their free and informed consent, as well as provisions authorizing the preventive detention of persons with disabilities on grounds such as the likelihood of them posing a danger to themselves or others, in all cases in which such grounds of care, treatment and public security are linked in legislation to an apparent or diagnosed mental illness. This should not be interpreted to say that persons with disabilities cannot be lawfully subject to detention for care and treatment or to preventive detention, but that the legal grounds upon which restriction of liberty is determined must be de-linked from the disability and neutrally defined so as to apply to all persons on an equal basis. 6. Right to live independently and be included in the community 50. The provisions of article 19 of the Convention carry far-reaching implications for all forms of institutionalized care of persons with disabilities. The recognition of the right of persons with disabilities to independent living and community inclusion requires the shift of government policies away from institutions towards in-home, residential and other community support services. The key element of any intervention aimed at giving effect to the right to independent living and community inclusion is the explicit legal recognition of the right of persons with disabilities to determine where and with whom to live. This recognition should also openly reflect the unlawfulness of arrangements for residential care made against the wishes of a person with disabilities. 51. De-institutionalization is necessary but not sufficient to achieve the goal of independent living. In most cases, a national strategy that integrates interventions in the area of social services, health, housing and employment, at a very minimum, will be required. For the effective implementation of such strategies it is necessary that the independent living principle be rooted in a legislative framework which clearly establishes it as a legal right and in turn places duties on authorities and service providers, while also allowing for recourse in case of violation. Such legislative frameworks shall include the recognition of the right to access the support services required to enable independent living and inclusion in community life, and the guarantee that independent living support should be provided and arranged on the basis of the individual’s own choices and aspirations, in line with the principles of the Convention.44 7. Right to education 52. Compliance with article 24 of the Convention requires first and foremost the recognition of the right of persons with disabilities to education in an inclusive education system and the removal of legal barriers to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the regular education 44 CRPD, art. 3 (a).

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