People with disabilities constitute the world’s largest and most disadvantaged vulnerable group. Disability in the modern world has manifested itself as one of the global problems affecting the interests of almost all spheres of activity. Many societies have deeply rooted prejudices against people with specific physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments. Nevertheless, existing national, regional and international legal norms and the efforts of organizations worldwide promote the rights of people with disabilities.
Fundamental international legal acts enshrine civil, political, economic, social, and cultural freedoms, but these acts do not directly mention the rights of persons with disabilities. The absence of specific action to protect them has led to a significant increase in the activity of international cooperation by states in improving legal mechanisms to protect persons with disabilities. In December 2001, the government of Mexico took the initiative at the General Assembly to establish an ad hoc committee to consider proposals to develop a comprehensive and unified international convention (Bagentos, 2019). The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities consists of 50 articles on the goals, general principles, and measures to be taken by States Parties to create an enabling environment for the realization of rights.
At the national level, several critical pieces of legislation explicitly refer to the rights of persons with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act was the first piece of civil rights legislation to address the rights of people with disabilities specifically. It made it illegal to discriminate based on impairments for programs receiving federal funding, such as universities (Blanck, 2019). Moreover, there is an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which is crucial because it gives children the right to receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment (Blanck, 2019). It provides financial assistance to help educational institutions comply with federal laws and provide needed services to students with impairments.
Therefore, the development of disability protections in the human rights system is transforming the status of people with disabilities from recipients of charity care to independent persons. This approach seeks to find opportunities to respect their rights by creating conditions to ensure their active participation in public life. Adopting policies, laws, and programs that remove barriers and guarantee the exercise of civil political, economic, social, and cultural freedoms by vulnerable groups are especially significant.
References
Bagenstos, S. R. (2019). Disability and reproductive justice. Harv. L. & Pol’y Rev., 14, 273.
Blanck, P. (2019). Why America is better off because of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Touro L. Rev., 35, 605.