Browsing by Subject "self-determination"

The majority of the people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Finland are outside the labour market, even though their constitutional rights are the equal to those of a non-disabled person. There are a multitude of prejudices towards disability, and specifically towards people with IDDs. Those prejudices impact the way a person with IDD can carry out their working life citizenship in the way they want to. This paper focuses on the Finnish disability pension system and if the system in itself limits the self-determination of a person with IDD. The paper utilises two sets of data. Documents of law preparation and laws themselves are looked into. In addition, 10 interviews have been conducted, consisting of eight interviews with experts by experience and two organisation experts. Thematic analysis was used in both sets of data, and it is done in two parts. Document analysis handles the institutional change within the last 50 years and the interview analysis consists of how people with IDD themselves see the disability pension system. Slightly prior and especially after the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Finnish lawmaking has been more inclusive of people with IDDs, although the grounds on which the laws are built on seem to stay similar over time. The disability pension system is seen as a functioning safety net, but also as a somewhat restrictive. The experts by experience were often unsure when the decision regarding their pension had been made, and they felt that their possible entry to labour markets is not discussed enough with them, even if they were motivated to join the labour markets. Even as the disability pension system creates a sense of safety for one’s income, the current form of the system also restricts the self-determination of people with IDDs. The restrictions are specifically apparent in the lack of choice. The weaknesses of the current system should be recognized, and the future political decision-making should focus on unifying the disability pension system and the quality of the support net.