The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Notes on Genealogy and Prospects

Abstract

Abstract The dense and complex Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is both a human rights treaty and a development tool. It supplements the web of existing human rights instruments insofar as they relate to disability. Schooling is enshrouded as a rights-based case; inclusive education as a development tool for all persons with disabilities. The human rights agenda that informs the CRPD is intimately related to, and erected upon, earlier ideas and histories; education links to a series of world conferences that identified broad development goals and targets. This paper addresses the genealogy of the CRPD. It elaborates these two interlinked perspectives- the intersection of human rights and disability and the education-related positions. It finds that the CRPD may indeed exert a powerful influence in positively affecting the lives of persons with disabilities but, so far, prospects remain limited. The rights protections and education directions have not yet advanced to robust equality measures.