The UN Convention is serviced by a joint Secretariat which is comprised of staff members from the United Nations as well as the Department of Social Affairs (DESA). The Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights is also involved in the Convention.

Signatories Of The UN Convention

At present, The UN Convention On Rights Of Persons With Disabilities boasts of 143 signatories. The Optional Protocol has 87 signatories.

The Convention has received 75 ratifications and the Optional Protocol has received 48 ratifications. As per the UN Enable website, Bolivia is the the country to have most recently ratified the Convention.

Convention Facts

This particular UN Convention is the first of its kind and is a major step for the disabled community which has previously been sidelined and often even been discriminated against.

As per the UN Enable website, “It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and is the first human rights convention to be open for signature by regional integration organizations.”

The Convention was openly welcomed by the disabled community because it marked a shift in the world’ attitude towards disabilities. Most people with disabilities simply want nothing more than to be treated with equal rights. The UN Convention On Rights Of Persons With Disabilities did exactly that. It helped the world realize that people with disabilities are not merely objects of charity deserving pity but are in fact people with certain handicaps, but people who need and deserve the same rights as everyone else.

Convention Recommendations For World Leaders

The Convention states that persons with disabilities should be guaranteed the right to inclusive education at all levels, regardless of age, without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity.
State Parties should ensure that:

1. children with disabilities are not excluded from free and compulsory primary education, or from secondary education;
2. adults with disabilities have access to general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning;
3. persons with disabilities receive the necessary support, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education; and
4. effective individualized support measures are put in place to maximize academic and social development.

State Parties should take appropriate measures, such as:

1. endorsing the learning of Braille, alternative script, augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication and orientation and mobility skills, and facilitating peer support and mentoring;
2. supporting the learning of sign language and promoting the linguistic identity of the deaf community;
3. advocating that education of persons, particularly children, who are blind and/or deaf, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and means of communication for the individual; and
4. employing teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified in sign language and/or Braille, and to train education professionals and staff about disability awareness, use of augmentative and alternative modes and formats of communication, and educational techniques and materials to support persons with disabilities.

The Convention establishes human rights for persons with disabilities by affirming that persons with all range of disabilities are entitled to the fundamental freedoms every world citizen enjoys.

The Convention stressed the importance of mainstreaming disability issues and urged governments to pay more attention to the rights of disabled people. It encourages world leaders to thoughtfully and intelligently strategize to make the world a more friendly place for persons with disabilities.

By recognizing the rights of disabled people and the need to promote their human rights across the world, the United Nations introduced a revolutionary change the disabled community has long demanded.

The Convention will go down in history as the fastest negotiated human rights treaty. It is a much needed change for the disabled community so the world and even government view persons with disabilities as equal citizens and grant them equal rights.

References:

UN Enable

What Rights Do Disabled People Have?

Disability rights for disabled people have greatly increased over the last few years when the disability discrimination act came into force in 1995. The aim of the act when introduced was to put an end to discrimination that was being faced by disabled people.

Key points of the disability discrimination act include:

* The right to fair employment. Every firm which employs 15 or more people has to conform to this act and covers dismissal, working conditions and redundancy.

* The right to have access to services and facilities.

* The right to have reasonable adjustments made for access in the working environment.

* The right to education in any school, college or further education.

Discrimination is said to occur when any disabled person is treated with less favour, the treatment is relating to the person’s disability and when there has been inadequate adjustments made which cannot be justified.

Education providers

For places of education such as schools, colleges and any place of further education the disability discrimination act was extended and is called the special educational needs and disability act. This act was formed to protect students against discrimination, its key points are:

* It is against the law to prevent any disabled student from taking a course or to mark down in assessment any disabled person suffering from dyslexia or deafness.

* Certain policies have to be changed for disabled students, for example giving more computer access during exams.

* The place should be able to provide aids and services for those with disabilities, such as providing hearing aid loops and installation of special software on computers for those people with visual disabilities.

* Making adjustments to the building themselves for easier access.

Who has To Comply with the Act?

Any company or organization that provides facilities to the public has to comply with this regulation and includes:

* Building societies and banks.

* Hospitals and Doctor’s surgeries.

* Theatres and Cinema’s.

* Bus stations and Railway stations.

* Hotels, shops and restaurants.

* Soccer grounds, sports halls parks.

Who Isn’t Covered?

* Trains, buses and any other public transport.

* Private clubs.

* Manufacturers.

How Is The Law Enforced?

The law is enforced by the disabled rights commission which is an independent body of people. They were put there to ensure that elimination is met for discrimination of disabled people and to promote equal opportunities and for them to also assist and give advice on how to treat disabled people, and to advise the government on the legislation of disability.