Good morning, my name is María José Gutiérrez Sánchez and I am 29 years old. I am a person with an intellectual disability and a self-advocate at CAPYS, A.C. (Center for Personal and Social Autonomy, Nonprofit Organization). Today, I want to talk about something that is very important to us and not often discussed, which is independent living for people with disabilities in Mexico and throughout the world.
For various reasons, a lot of people with disabilities are not independent in all aspects of their lives:
- because there is not enough information;
- there are no accessible places;
- other people think that we will be kids forever;
- or there is no empathy, among other reasons.
Having an independent life means choosing freely and making decisions about our own life. It does not mean doing everything by ourselves, it means receiving support to have a better understanding and to make decisions.
That is why I consider that it is important to have more accessibility in all the aspects involved in an independent life, from support to apply for a loan and accessible housing to accessible information to vote and be voted for.
I believe that it is important to have our own place to live, like any other person. Perhaps we require some support but this should not be an obstacle, as it should not be an obstacle to participating in the political life of our country.
If we are trained and taught how to do things, we can do it, but this is not just for people with disabilities; it should be for everyone.
Thank you.
