UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
What needs to be done to make the Convention real for the 1 in 5 people living with a disability in Northern Ireland?
-Government ministers and elected representatives must ensure that their department and party policies and strategies are inclusive and responsive to the rights of disabled people. They should consult with disabled people and their representative groups to ensure this.
-There is a need to change the way people with disabilities are perceived and treated. They are often seen as people who require protection and evoke sympathy rather than respect. Disabled people have rights like everyone else and they should be given every opportunity to exercise these rights as responsible participants in society.
-Cross-departmental working is fundamental to the implementation of the Convention. Given the cross-cutting nature of the Convention, such work should include health, education, employment, mobility and independent living.
-Use the Convention as a tool to challenge or change the law in order to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
>>Read our briefing paper (PDF)
