Disability and human rights

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter in a book

Abstract

This chapter provides the history of human rights, the development of the disability Convention, and its main features and achievements. It examines some key areas of discussion and debate emerging in the literature on disability and human rights. Human rights are legal and moral norms that aim to both define and protect fundamental freedoms and entitlements for all humans. An appreciation of contemporary disability human rights, as embodied by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), requires an understanding of what came before. Politically engaged organisations led by disabled people developed distinctive understandings of rights and equality, based around social and minority rights understandings of disability. Disability advocacy organisations began to designate policy officers to follow human rights developments. The purpose of the CRPD is 'to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity'.
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Title of host publicationRoutledge Handbook of Disability Studies: Second Edition
EditorsNick Watson, Simo Vehmas
PublisherRoutledge
Pages72-88
Number of pages17
ISBN (Print)9781138365308
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2019

Research Groups and Themes

  • SPS Centre for Research in Health and Social Care

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