Vision, mission, values

We strive for a world of equality, where emotional, mental and learning differences are valued equally; where the inherent autonomy and dignity of each person is fully respected; and where human rights are realised for all persons without discrimination.

Vision

Validity’s vision is a world that is inclusive, diverse and supportive; where every person’s choice is respected; and where discrimination and barriers to inclusion are actively rejected and broken down.

Mission

Validity puts its legal expertise at the service of persons with disabilities, and particularly persons with
mental disabilities to promote, protect and defend their human rights.

Our Values

The basic and fundamental beliefs that guide and motivate us are:

  1. AUTHENTICITY – We are honest and authentic in all we do.
  2. CO-AUTONOMY – We respect each person’s individual autonomy and recognise that we are all interdependent. We believe that when each person’s individual rights are respected, we can create stronger communities together. This is sometimes known as “relational autonomy”.
  3. DIGNITY – We believe that every person’s dignity must be respected at all times.
  4. JUSTICE – We believe that all human beings are entitled to justice when their rights are violated. We recognise that justice is an expansive and flexible concept and we choose to use the law to advocate for justice for persons with disabilities. We reject all forms of discrimination and fight to dismantle structures and systems that perpetuate and entrench historic discrimination. We promote equality for all.
  5. LEARNING – We value learning as an important element of our growth and strategy as individuals and as an organisation. We learn from our partnerships, from our mistakes and successes, from the diversity of the stakeholders we work with. We commit to using these lessons to continually improve our work.
  6. ACCOUNTABILITY – We strive to make ourselves more accountable to persons with disabilities. We are transparent about our successes and failures, our goals and strategy, and our organisation’s financial sources and expenditure.
  7. TENACITY – We are persistent and committed to our vision and mission. We are dedicated to continuing the fight for justice for persons with disabilities regardless of the obstacles we may encounter.
  8. CREATIVITY – We use the law in creative ways. We seek innovative ways of engaging with stakeholders and pushing for change.
  9. RESPECT – We respect every person’s human dignity; understand and recognise the validity of the views of others, even when we disagree; and we see people as humans first, not as victims.
  10. PARTICIPATION – Persons with mental disabilities are at the core of our mission. We draw our mandate from them and seek to ensure we are informed by their needs and wishes.