Autonomy and Moral Obligation: People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

In this project I seek to evaluate how social structures and attitudinal norms impact the autonomy of people who live with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and what implications arise from that evaluation. I argue that this particular demographic experiences restriction to autonomy in a way that generates moral obligation for society to mitigate. I then investigate the possibility of a service called Independent Facilitation and Planning as a contemporary example of how the province of Ontario can meet that obligation.