|
The Community
Imperative
Declaration
The Community Imperative declaration was issued in 1979, by the
Center on Human Policy,
Syracuse University, in response to a backlash against the growing
national movement towards community inclusion.
The declaration was endorsed at that time by many of the leading figures
in the developmental disabilities field, both nationally and in
California. The declaration established community living as a
fundamental human right.
In 1999, the Center on Human Policy re-issued the declaration in
response to another backlash against the continuing success of community
advocates. In many states, especially California, public policy and
disability advocacy lacked clear direction and commitment. The Community
Imperative once more challenged individuals and organizations to take a
stand and recognize community living as a human right.
CAIC made that commitment and played a leading role in California in furthering the
Community Imperative as a fundamental principle of disability advocacy.
Now nearly all major statewide organizations in California have endorsed
the declaration, including the major provider and consumer-based
advocacy organizations, the SEIU, and several cross disability groups.
List of California organizational
endorsers
List of national organizational endorsers
More
information on the Community Imperative
Endorse the
Community Imperative
|
|
The Community
Imperative
1979
A Refutation of All
Arguments in Support of Institutionalizing Anybody Because of Mental
Retardation
In the domain of Human Rights:
All people have fundamental moral and constitutional rights;
These rights must not be abrogated merely because a person has a mental
or physical disability.
Among these fundamental rights is the right to community living.
In the domain of Educational Programming and Human
Services:
All people, as human beings, are inherently valuable;
All people can grow and develop;
All people are entitled to conditions which foster their development;
Such conditions are optimally provided in community settings.
Therefore:
In fulfillment of fundamental human rights and in securing optimum
developmental opportunities, all people, regardless of the severity of
their disabilities, are entitled to community living.
|
