On December 13, 2022, Sílvia Alba, social worker of the residence and Montjuïc day and occupational center d'Aspace, expert in ethics applied to social and psychoeducational action, and member of ERAE (space for ethical reflection and action) of Dincat, and Mónica Platas, Head of Rights and Support for the exercise of legal capacity of On Monday, they made one Workshop talk on the right to privacy for people with disabilities. The event was held online and was attended by more than 50 people from different organizations that work for the care of people with intellectual disabilities.
The talk has been divided into three blocks. The first of all, taught by Silvia Alba, focused on the right to privacy of people with disabilities from an ethical perspective. Privacy is a recognized and fundamental right, but it is very easy to violate it, especially in people who have a clear lack of communication.
To promote their autonomy and happiness we must be careful to respect the different sides that are part of their sphere of intimacy. That's why it isIt is important to provide individual and quiet spaces for all people who find themselves in this situation. The people in charge of their care must respect their integrity and know when they need to be alone, when they want to be accompanied and with whom they want to share these spaces. The need for intimacy also includes sexuality, in this sense, Sílvia Alba has commented that "sometimes people with disabilities are perceived as asexual by families and carers. When the right to privacy is denied, inappropriate behaviors such as exhibitionism appear."
The second blog has dealt with the different ones laws that regulate people's right to privacy collected by the United Nations Organization, the European Union and the Spanish state. This part has been carried out by Mónica Platas and has put on the table in which framework the caregivers of people with functional diversity should be governed in order to respect the right to privacy and to which institutions they should be redirected if it is contemplated some violation
Finally, the third blog has dealt with the practical application of the right to privacy to help put it into practice with people with disabilities. Sílvia Alba has given practical examples, exercises and dynamics to do with users. It has been the part most focused on caregivers and of more practical value, emphasizing the role they play in making users understand that they have the right to privacy and how to exercise it. Some of the examples that Sílvia has given to adapt the environment are using signage, reaching agreements with the users' colleagues to share the space without losing individuality or making the corridors and the surroundings of the rooms quiet spaces so as not to disturb the people who live there.
Attendees have had the opportunity to intervene after each blog to ask questions, comment on experiences with users and expose enriching information for the talk. In short, it was a very interesting talk-workshop: starting from the ethical approach to the issue and how privacy is perceived by society with respect to people with disabilities, the laws that regulate the right to privacy and its implementation and, finally, practical examples and activities that the people in charge of care can carry out directly on the ground.
We give them thanks to Monday for the organization of this talk so enriching and fundamental to the daily work of so many professionals and organizations that look after the health and well-being of the group of people with intellectual disabilities.
