Centre Name
The Centre on Human Rights is acutely aware of ongoing debate, both in and outside of the disability movement, concerning the use of appropriate terminology to describe people who have impairments and who are disabled by society. As part of an organisation working with and for people with disabilities, the Centre on Human Rights has carefully considered the implications of adopting particular terminology.
The Centre on Human Rights respects the choices that people make in choosing how to best describe their identity and experiences. We recognise that some people prefer to use the term ‘people with disabilities’ while others prefer to use the term ‘disabled people’.
We understand that the use of ‘people with disabilities’ in the Centre name will be contentious to some. The decision to use this terminology has been informed by people with disabilities throughout Northern Ireland. People with disabilities have told us that, placing the noun ‘people’ before ‘disabilities’ emphasises the fact that individuals who are disabled by society are in fact people first - something which historically has been denied.
The Centre on Human Rights understands the terms ‘disability’ and ‘disabilities’ to mean the range of oppressive practices and barriers by which an individual with impairment is disabled by our society. This includes attitudinal, physical, environmental, social and economic barriers and encompasses institutional and systemic forms of discrimination.
The decision to use the term ‘people with disabilities’ has also been shaped by the international context in which the Centre carries out its work. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) does not explicitly define the term disability, but states that “Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (Article 1). The consistent use of ‘people with disabilities’ is, in the Centre’s view, vital in promoting the standardisation of international disability terminology and its harmonization with the principles of human rights.
In addition, the General Assembly of the United Nations has recently renamed the ‘International Day of Disabled Persons’ on 03 December each year as the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ to reflect developments on the international stage. The term ‘people with disabilities’ is also widely used and preferred by organisations of and for people with disabilities across the world, not least by many of those individuals and organisations who were involved in negotiating the terms and conditions of the Convention.
In choosing to use the term ‘people with disabilities’, the Centre on Human Rights does not exclude those who prefer the term ‘disabled people’, but believes that ‘people with disabilities’ is most appropriate for the Centre in delivering its mission to protect, promote and ensure the human rights of all those who experience the disabling effects of our society.
For further information, please contact the Centre on Human Rights for People with Disabilities, 189 Airport Road West, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT3 9ED UK or email humanrights@disabilityaction.org
