1st Edition
by Arlene S. Kanter (Author)
The adoption of the Convention on the Rights of People with
Disabilities (CPRD) by the United Nations in 2006 is the first
comprehensive and binding treaty on the rights of people with
disabilities. It establishes the right of people with disabilities to
equality, dignity, autonomy, full participation, as well as the right to
live in the community, and the right to supported decision-making and
inclusive education. Prior to the CRPD, international law had provided
only limited protections to people with disabilities.
This book
analyses the development of disability rights as an international human
rights movement. Focusing on the United States and countries in Asia,
Africa, the Middle East the book examines the status of people with
disabilities under international law prior to the adoption of the CPRD,
and follows the development of human rights protections through the
convention’s drafting process. Arlene Kanter argues that by including
both new applications and entirely new approaches to human rights treaty
enforcement, the CRPD is significant not only to people with
disabilities but also to the general development of international human
rights, by offering new human rights protections for all people.
Taking
a comparative perspective, the book explores how the success of the
CRPD in achieving protections depends on the extent to which individual
countries enforce domestic laws and policies, and the changing public
attitudes towards people with disabilities. This book will be of
excellent use and interest to researchers and students of human rights
law, discrimination, and disability studies.