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What is OSI’s work in the area of mental disability and human rights?

The Open Society Mental Health Initiative (MHI) seeks to ensure that people with mental disabilities are able to live as equal citizens in the community and to participate in society with full respect for their human rights. The focus of MHI’s activities is to end the end the unjustified and inappropriate institutionalization of people with mental disabilities by advocating for the development of community based alternatives that can replace the need for institutional care. MHI works with OSI’s Human Rights and Governance Grants Program (HRGGP) and the Law and Health Initiative (LAHI) on mental health and human rights projects. Projects supported by MHI include:

• Developing community-based alternatives to institutionalization: 
  In December 2006, MHI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Serbian Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy to implement deinstitutionalization policy by developing community-based alternatives for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Providing family services to prevent institutionalization: 
  MHI and Habitat for Humanity have partnered to provide decent housing and home-based support services to help Kyrgyz families stay together, preventing the institutionalization of family members with mental disabilities.
• Enabling mainstream education for children with mental disabilities: 
  In Azerbaijan and Georgia, MHI works closely with the Ministries of Education on the reform of the segregated educational systems for children with disabilities with the aim of including them in education in mainstream schools.

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