Persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities are particularly vulnerable to human rights violations committed in the name of “rehabilitation.”

The objective of habilitation and rehabilitation under the CRPD is to “enable persons with disabilities to attain and maintain maximum independence, full physical, mental, social and vocational ability, and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of life.”

These efforts must always be based on the goals and preferences expressed by the person who is receiving the rehabilitation service.

Persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities are often subjected to programs and therapies intended not to help them achieve what they want, but rather to change them in a way that the person may not wish to be changed.

Persons with intellectual disabilities or psychosocial disabilities are assumed not to know “what is good for them” or to be incapable of defining reasonable goals for themselves. In these cases, doctors, family members, or others often employ rehabilitation approaches that further their own objectives and may violate the wishes of the person with an intellectual disability.

Such rehabilitation violates fundamental human rights principles such as autonomy, freedom of expression, participation and inclusion, non-discrimination, and personal integrity.