Disability

Self-determination, participation, equal rights, independence, inclusion – these and related terms have been on everyone’s lips since the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006, came into force internationally in May 2008 and was ratified by the Federal Republic of Germany in December 2008. The Convention does not create special rights, but rather specifies the general human rights protection for the particular dangers to which people with disabilities are exposed. It emphasises the claim to inclusiveness and universality of human rights protection: the rights of all people with disabilities should be respected, protected and enforced in the same way. How this can be realized in detail, and what it takes to implement the Convention successfully in the various areas of life, is subject of debate. In addition to assistance measures to support a self-determined life for people with disabilities, the social climate also plays an important role.