People with intellectual disabilities who receive support often face limitations in managing their money, even when their court ruling does not indicate that they need financial support. And it is not because they lack the capacity to do so, but because financial institutions unilaterally prevent them. The law has evolved to ensure greater autonomy for this group, but banks continue to impose significant barriers that hinder their financial inclusion.
This is a problem that support foundations have been denouncing for a long time. The manager of our organization, Josep Tresserras, presented it at a meeting with the Spanish Attorney General’s Office, where they took note. We have also filed complaints directly with banks for unjustifiably restricting the financial operations of the people we support. After numerous complaints and obstacles, we have exposed this issue together with Dincat in El Periódico de Catalunya, which has published this problem in today’s print edition and also in the digital edition, with one article addressing the general issue and another focusing on two specific cases: those of Ariadna Capdevila and Josefina Burgos, two women we support.
Ariadna Capdevila’s case is striking. She is a woman with Down and Turner syndromes to whom we provide economic support. Ariadna has been a victim of fraud in the past. For this reason, we monitor her account for unusual transactions and authorize major operations, such as applying for a mortgage loan. Nothing more: she has the right to manage her money whenever and however she wants, without any kind of support. However, she spent a year unable to obtain a bank card. During that time, she had to rely on family and friends to cover her basic needs. “I felt powerless and discriminated against,” she recalls. After a long process, she finally obtained the card, but she still faces difficulties in handling banking operations independently.
Another case is that of Josefina Burgos, who also spent years facing restrictions on accessing her funds. When her foundation attempted to obtain a card for her, BBVA bank flatly refused. Eventually, she managed to get a card from CaixaBank, and now she feels freer to manage her money.
At Som – Fundació, we will continue working to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities receive the necessary support to manage their resources independently. However, it is essential for banks and financial institutions to adapt their services to guarantee the full inclusion of this group.