The Right to Decide: Re-defining Capacity

The Right to Decide: Re-defining Capacity

The 120 Maryland Group is pleased to be hosting a 1-day event at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, along with various community partners. This event will explore barriers that people with an intellectual or cognitive disability or living with mental health challenges face in exercising choice, power and control in their lives – in exercising their right to decide in personal life, health care, and financial decisions. We will look at law, policy, and practice solutions in Canada and beyond.

The event builds on the Group’s two-year initiative “The Community Based Assisted Decision-Making.” At this event, you will:

• Hear from the lived experience of diverse people whose right to decide has been denied.
• Participate in the launch – and learn from the findings – of the New Society Institute’s (formerly IRIS – Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society) study, Failing at the Gateways to Legal Capacity: Assessing Canada’s Equality Rights Progress for People with Disabilities (presented by researchers Dr. Michael Bach and Lana Kerzner)
• Join community partners, self-advocates, policy makers, and community members who are committed to continuing progress in advancing the equal right to decide.
• Help identify next steps in the reform process.

We look forward to joining with all participants and our community and government partners in ensuring all Manitobans can enjoy their right to decide on an equal basis. It’s one of the foundations of an inclusive society where all persons can take up their rightful place, with equal respect, rights, and regard.

The Museum is located near the Forks on 85 Israel Asper Way. The Museum has two entrances. The main entrance has four parking spots allowing for the best accessible drop-off option. The Group entrance is closest to the room where the event will be held. You can use either of these entrances and there will be volunteers to help you find the MTS Classroom where the event will be held.

If you are coming by bus, Winnipeg Transit has 9 routes that stop near the Museum. Some stops will be on Main Street just outside of Union Station, while others are on William Stephenson Way or just in front of the Museum. The easiest way to plan your trip to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights or The Forks is by using Navigo, our online trip planner. With Navigo you enter your start location, your destination, and the time you want to travel and Navigo will provide you with up to five trip options to meet your request.

We will have ASL interpretation available as well as captioning of presentations. The Museum offers accessible, barrier-free entrances and spaces including gender-inclusive bathrooms. At least one bathroom also is equipped with an adult-size change table and motorized transfer lift. More information about the Museum can be found here: https://humanrights.ca/visit/accessibility#section_1

Host or Publisher Inclusion Winnipeg