The Croatian government is undertaking a five-year plan to move people with intellectual and physical disabilities from confinement in two long-stay institutions, to supported housing within their communities.
This paper examines a 17-year investment by the Mental Health Initiative of the Open Society Public Health Program to make these reforms possible. It reviews the development of civil society engagement, past organizational failures, changes in international law and political pressure, the roots of government partnership, and future challenges and opportunities.
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Deinstitutionalization in Croatia: A Summary of Open Society Support (736.71 Kb pdf file)
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A Legacy of Action
Remembering a Fierce Champion of Disability Rights
![Disability rights advocate Judith Heumann poses for a photo in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2021. © Shuran Huang/Washington Post/Getty Judith Heumann sitting in a wheelchair on a bridge](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/89491e0a-06c6-4e40-9e85-f9173b672fa5/20230306-huang-judy-heumann-disability-rights-3000.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=200&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1875)
She fought and won countless victories for disability rights with passion, commitment and kindness. Open Society honors the contributions of the late Judy Heumann
Justice for All
Q&A: A Different Approach to Disability
![People with disabilities celebrate Women’s Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 8, 2018. Photo credit: © Helena Schaetzle/laif/Redux A group of people celebrating together](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/12c3b5e5-8df3-421f-82a2-89cd91435c5a/20210514-schaetzle-indonesia-disability-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=200&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1875)
Gerard Quinn, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of People with Disabilities, explains how he’s using his office to boldly push for a more inclusive world.
Accessibility for All
Q&A: An Inclusive Revolution
![Valentina Vargas Ricca speaks at a workshop for women with disabilities in Sololá, Guatemala, on September 21, 2019. Photo credit: © Huayra Bello/Claudia Castellán Two women giving a presentation](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/f9811830-5b78-46ea-80b5-94050537f1f2/20200114-bello-guatemala-valentina-women-disability-9956-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=200&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
In Guatemala, women with disabilities face exclusion, stigmatization, and worse. Thankfully, one collective, Mujeres Con Capacidad de Soñar a Colores, is responding through research, organizing, and art.