Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

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Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

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Proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 3447 (XXX) of 9 December 1975

The General Assembly ,

Mindful of the pledge made by Member States, under the Charter of the United Nations to take joint and separate action in co-operation with the Organization to promote higher standards of living, full employment and conditions of economic and social progress and development,

Reaffirming its faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms and in the principles of peace, of the dignity and worth of the human person and of social justice proclaimed in the Charter,

Recalling the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, as well as the standards already set for social progress in the constitutions, conventions, recommendations and resolutions of the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and other organizations concerned,

Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 1921 (LVIII) of 6 May 1975 on the prevention of disability and the rehabilitation of disabled persons,

Emphasizing that the Declaration on Social Progress and Development has proclaimed the necessity of protecting the rights and assuring the welfare and rehabilitation of the physically and mentally disadvantaged,

Bearing in mind the necessity of preventing physical and mental disabilities and of assisting disabled persons to develop their abilities in the most varied fields of activities and of promoting their integration as far as possible in normal life,

Aware that certain countries, at their present stage of development, can devote only limited efforts to this end,

Proclaims this Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons and calls for national and international action to ensure that it will be used as a common basis and frame of reference for the protection of these rights:

1. The term "disabled person" means any person unable to ensure by himself or herself, wholly or partly, the necessities of a normal individual and/or social life, as a result of deficiency, either congenital or not, in his or her physical or mental capabilities.

2. Disabled persons shall enjoy all the rights set forth in this Declaration. These rights shall be granted to all disabled persons without any exception whatsoever and without distinction or discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, state of wealth, birth or any other situation applying either to the disabled person himself or herself or to his or her family.

3. Disabled persons have the inherent right to respect for their human dignity. Disabled persons, whatever the origin, nature and seriousness of their handicaps and disabilities, have the same fundamental rights as their fellow-citizens of the same age, which implies first and foremost the right to enjoy a decent life, as normal and full as possible.

4. Disabled persons have the same civil and political rights as other human beings; paragraph 7 of the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons applies to any possible limitation or suppression of those rights for mentally disabled persons.

5. Disabled persons are entitled to the measures designed to enable them to become as self-reliant as possible.

6. Disabled persons have the right to medical, psychological and functional treatment, including prosthetic and orthetic appliances, to medical and social rehabilitation, education, vocational training and rehabilitation, aid, counselling, placement services and other services which will enable them to develop their capabilities and skills to the maximum and will hasten the processes of their social integration or reintegration.

7. Disabled persons have the right to economic and social security and to a decent level of living. They have the right, according to their capabilities, to secure and retain employment or to engage in a useful, productive and remunerative occupation and to join trade unions.

8. Disabled persons are entitled to have their special needs taken into consideration at all stages of economic and social planning.

9. Disabled persons have the right to live with their families or with foster parents and to participate in all social, creative or recreational activities. No disabled person shall be subjected, as far as his or her residence is concerned, to differential treatment other than that required by his or her condition or by the improvement which he or she may derive therefrom. If the stay of a disabled person in a specialized establishment is indispensable, the environment and living conditions therein shall be as close as possible to those of the normal life of a person of his or her age.

10. Disabled persons shall be protected against all exploitation, all regulations and all treatment of a discriminatory, abusive or degrading nature.

11. Disabled persons shall be able to avail themselves of qualified legal aid when such aid proves indispensable for the protection of their persons and property. If judicial proceedings are instituted against them, the legal procedure applied shall take their physical and mental condition fully into account.

12. Organizations of disabled persons may be usefully consulted in all matters regarding the rights of disabled persons.

13. Disabled persons, their families and communities shall be fully informed, by all appropriate means, of the rights contained in this Declaration.

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Note: Disabled Peoples' International website available in English, French, and Spanish - http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/

Disabled Peoples' International

Beijing + 10: Position Paper on Women with Disabilities

March 2005

By Dinah Radtke, Vice Chair Disabled Peoples' International http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/

There are at least 300 million disabled women living in all countries of the world. 82% of these live in the developing world. Disabled women and girls are much more marginalizes and mostly invisible to policy makers. Disabled women and girls are subject to massive human rights violations without regard to their age, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, class, religious and other status. WE no longer accept being objects of violence and discrimination and we insist on respect for and protection of our human rights.

WE recognize the stated commitment of the United Nations to the provision of human rights of people with disabilities. We recognize its Commitment to Eliminate all forms of Discrimination against Women and further recognize its recent work to develop a Convention on the Rights and Dignity of People with Disabilities. But in order to be aware of the special needs of women and girls with disabilities it is necessary to name these needs in all relevant official documents.

We strongly recommend addressing the unique issues of disabled women and girls in all of the 12 critical areas of concern as outlined by the Beijing Platform for Action, and especially in the fields of:

Education and training which is not a priority in many countries for disabled women and girls. We need inclusive systems without barriers ensuring the necessary special support.
Violence: disabled women and girls are more often subject to various types of violence and particular sexual violence that non-disabled women and girls. We need effective programs and legal measure to combat all types of violence.
Motherhood and sexuality: These are often denied for women and girls with disabilities. Discriminating laws especially with regard to sterilization have to be abolished.
Healthcare: Women with disabilities sometimes have little or no access to healthcare facilities, services and information, among others to gynecological and maternal care.
HIV/AIDS: women and girls with disabilities are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS transmission given their increased risk of sexual violence. Special measures and programs are needed to protect disabled girls and women.
Poverty: disabled women and girls are more likely to live in poverty and be excluded form the work force. We call on UN organizations, in particular the World Bank in their poverty alleviation strategies, the ILO on their "right to decent work", UNESCO in their goal of "Education for ALL". Each of these organizations must ensure their work includes women and girls with disabilities.
Human Rights: all of the above points are violations of human rights standards as articulated and ensured for all people under the international human rights treaties. We thus strongly call the governments to reaffirm the entire scope of the Human Rights of women and girls with disabilities, including the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in order to achieve the internationally agreed upon development goals as well as those contained in the millennium declaration. WE pledge to undertake further action to integrate women and girls with disabilities in the implementation.