Supporting people with an intellectual disability to make their own decisions is important. Below are some reasons why.
- Everyone has the right to have support to make their own decisions and make sure their rights are kept safe.
- When people make their own decisions they have control of what they do each day, how they live, the people in their life, their work, health and social activities.
- If people can’t make their own decisions, we might not be doing what the law says we need to do to protect people’s rights.
- Having support makes sure that a person’s goals are the most important thing when they get help.
- Support helps people feel more confident and sure of themself. They can talk about what they like, have good friendships and not be lonely.
- Making decisions is good for people’s health and to have less stress and worry.
Supporting people with an intellectual disability to make decisions also helps the community learn about being inclusive and respecting people’s rights.
To read about our national partner, Inclusion Australia’s ‘Make Decisions Real’ project click here
