The Value of Freedom
Zulaika Esentaeva
December 20, 2011
 BLOG  
A self-advocacy group for people with mental disabilities in Kyrgyzstan offers hope within a society that typically stigmatizes them.

Ratification Is One Thing, Action Is Quite Another
Judith Klein
December 5, 2011
 BLOG  
Despite ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, many countries have yet to take concrete action on it. This is especially true in the many countries where the predominant form of care for people with disabilities is to segregate them from society in institutions.

The Dark Side of Protection: Forced Sterilization of Women with Disabilities
Tirza Leibowitz
December 2, 2011
 BLOG  
Women are sterilized without their knowledge or consent on various fallacious grounds. In some cases, proponents defend this practice as necessary to protect women. Nowhere is this argument invoked more than in the case of women with disabilities.

UK Abuse Scandal Highlights Need for Better Community Services for People with Disabilities
June 1, 2011
In a commentary published in The Guardian, Mental Health Initiative Advisory Committee Member Jim Mansell calls on government leaders to develop community-based social services for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems, rather than looking for a "quick fix" to challenging problems.

Mental Health Advocates in Moldova Use Film to Tell Stories of Children with Disabilities
Summer 2011
 VIDEO  
The Open Society Foundations held a two-part video workshop in Chisinau, Moldova, for advocates working to promote the rights and social inclusion of people with disabilities. The advocates aim to use media to change public opinion about children with intellectual disabilities.

First Supported Housing Apartments Opened in Bosnia and Herzegovina
May 15, 2011
With support from the Mental Health Initiative, the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has opened the first supported housing apartments for people with intellectual disabilities. These community-based services offer an alternative to institutionalization.