History: Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities
The Danish Council of Organizations of Disabled Persons (DSI)
Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities
and the work to promote and protect them
By Holger Kallehauge, retired High Court Judge
This is a resumé of the international history of the disability movement within the last 25 years. It is at the same time the history about how persons with disabilities became recognized as persons with the same Human Rights as the rest of mankind.
Looking back on this goal it might seem as easy obtainable as it is obvious what is stated in the text below:
But while it took place it was hard work, a fierce fight and ny no means always easy to predict the outcome.
Progress has been slow and erratic, but we had a dream and the dream is now near to become true.
There are no easy victories for minorities and persons with disabilities are a minority within all societies.
1981: The International Year of Persons with disabilities.
Without good attitudes towards persons with disabilities it is not possible to promote respect for the Human Rights of persons with disabilities and mainstream the disabled minority into all areas of society - schools and the whole education system, workplaces, public transport, cultural life and so on.
The disabled minority has to make itself visible.
Politicians do not take care of invisible problems.
Without a feeling of bad conscience nothing happens.
1982: The World Program of Action for Persons with Disabilities.
A fine program with little if any influence. Only very few if any living politician has ever read it.
1983-92: The Disability Decade.
Time was needed to create progress.
In many countries only very little had happened during 1981.
1987 and 1989: Italy and Sweden tried in vain to make the UN start negotiations about a convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
That was how the international climate was at that time. Low priority to persons with disabilities and their organizations and little influence.
1993: The UN Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
A declaration, not a legally binding convention, but morally and politically binding because the Standard Rules were adopted by consensus by the General Assembly.
The UN Standard Rules are guidelines for enhancement of the "rights" of persons with disabilities.
1993: The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.
This is the first general human rights text which directly contains a text dealing with persons with disabilities:
"The rights of the disabled person."
Article 63 - 65 wherein it among others is stated:
- That all human rights and fundamental freedoms are universal and thus unreservedly include persons with disabilities.
- Persons with disabilities should be guaranteed equal opportunity through the elimination of all socially determined barriers.
The Human Rights of persons with disabilities were for the first time officially recognized.
2001: Mexico takes initiative to start negotiations about a convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
An open-ended Ad Hoc Group was established to this end in the year 2002.
2006: The Ad Hoc Group reaches agreement on a draft convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
The draft convention is now awaiting adoption by the UN General Assembly.
