Who We Are

About Validity – Easy Read Version (pdf)

Validity was initially established in 2002 to tackle the generations of isolation, segregation and exclusion faced by persons with mental disabilities in Central and Eastern Europe. Originally named the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC), today Validity is a thriving network of staff, consultants and partner organisations providing specialist legal support to disability rights movements in Europe and Africa. We are a specialist legal advocacy organisation, placing our expertise at the service of individuals, coalitions and movements of persons with disabilities.

Who are persons with mental disabilities?

Validity adopts the human rights model of disability and an inclusive definition of equality. We embrace the definition of “persons with disabilities” contained in Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). According to this, we must recognise that people are not simply ‘disabled’ by their impairments, but rather by social, environmental and legal barriers, as
well as discrimination.

Identities are important and Validity fully respects the right of everyone to express their identity for themselves.

By “persons with mental disabilities”, Validity refers to diverse communities, particularly those who face specific kinds of human rights violations on the basis of their actual or perceived mental disabilities. These include people who self-identify as or are perceived or treated as:

• Persons with neurological impairments, including age-related and degenerative impairments;
• Persons with intellectual impairments;
• Persons with cognitive impairments;
• Persons with developmental impairments;
• Persons with learning impairments;
• Persons with personality “disorders”;
• Persons who are neuro-diverse or neuro-queer;
• Persons who identify as mad;
• Persons who hear voices;
• Persons with addictions;
• Persons with autism and autistic persons;
• Persons with multiple, complex and profound impairments;
• Persons with complex or high support needs, including people with life-threatening or life-limiting health conditions; and
• Persons with psychosocial disabilities, including those who identify as having mental health issues, mental health problems, mental illness, and/or as users, ex-users or future users of mental health services (conventional or traditional), and/or as survivors of psychiatry.

What are the issues faced by persons with mental disabilities?

While all persons with disabilities face barriers to living their lives, persons with mental disabilities often experience specific types of barriers such as:

• Discriminatory laws which deny them the right to make decisions in their lives, to vote, to marry, or even to enter employment;
• Policies of segregation which result in children being placed in separate, segregated educational environments, or even completely denied the right to go to school; and
• Systems of institutionalisation, where they are forced to leave their families and communities.

How does Validity tackle these barriers?

Validity uses strategic litigation, law and policy advocacy, capacity-building, research, community mobilisation, media and a variety of other tools. We are a specialist legal resource to the disability rights movement and act as a watchdog, calling out human rights violations and pushing for change. Validity has a strong track history of expanding disability rights discourse and jurisprudence for over two decades. We operate at the global level as well as at domestic and regional levels in Europe and Africa.

Registered in both Hungary and the United Kingdom, our headquarters is in Budapest where most of our staff team is located. We also work closely with an international network of lawyers, organisations of persons with disabilities, human rights activists and other professionals. Our team and partners are passionate about our work and dedicated to using our diverse skills and experience to ensure that we do it well.