More Principles of the CRPD

This week, we continue to expound the general principles that govern the effective implementation the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). One of the principles which we did not discuss last week is equality.

The principle of equality means creating societal conditions that respect difference, address disadvantages and ensure that all women, men, girls and boys participate fully on equal terms. Equality is denied when a girl with a disability is taken out of school by her parents. Despite her good grades, her parents decide that it is useless to spend money on her education because of her disability.

Achieving equality sometimes requires additional measures such as the provision of assistance to persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities in order to support them in making decisions and in exercising their legal capacity on an equal basis with others.

Another principle is participation and inclusion. Full and effective participation as well as inclusion and accessibility mean that society, both in its public and in its private dimensions, is organised to enable all people to take part fully.

Full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society means that they are recognised and valued as equal participants. Their needs are understood as integral to the social and economic order and not identified as “special”.  To achieve full inclusion, an accessible, barrier-free physical and social environment is necessary. For instance, full and effective participation and inclusion mean that political election processes do not exclude persons with disabilities, ensuring, for example, that voting locations are accessible and election procedures and materials are available in multiple formats and easy to understand and use. Linked to the concept of participation and inclusion is that of universal design, which is defined in the Convention as the “design of products, environments, programmes and services that should be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design”.

The principle of Respect for Difference involves accepting others in a context of mutual understanding. This incorporates the acceptance of disability as part of human diversity and humanity. Despite some visible or apparent differences, all people have the same rights and dignity.

In this way, for example, before pulling away from a bus stop, a bus driver will give a boy with a physical disability enough time to get up from the bench at the bus shelter, board the bus and reach his seat. Not only does the bus driver ensure that quality and safe transport is provided to all users, but the bus schedule also takes into account various factors, including the requirements of persons with disabilities and other users of public transport. Importantly, the Convention does not seek to prevent disability – which is a medical approach – but rather to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability.