THEMES

Introduction to disability and equity

Disability equity and rights encompass the fundamental principles of justice for people with disabilities, ensuring their full and equal participation and inclusion in all aspects of society. Taking an approach focused on disability equity and rights means not just providing equal opportunities for people with disabilities, but acknowledging that people with disabilities experience barriers to inclusion. Achieving disability equity and rights therefore requires people to take action to ensure that the barriers experienced by people with disabilities are removed to enable active participation and engagement in society.

Resources provided in this section and the related sub-sections utilises evidence and guidance to highlight how disability equity and rights can be achieved in international development and humanitarian contexts.

What is disability?

Disability is an evolving concept, which results from the interaction between impairments and barriers, that hinders one's full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. Disability is more than just a medical condition or impairment, it also encompasses the barriers created by society, such as negative attitudes, inaccessible environments and communication methods, and discriminatory policies. The focus of disability inclusion is on removing these barriers to enable full participation in society.

The resources in this section provide further detail on the evolving and current understanding of disability.

CBM Global (2017) Disability Inclusive Development Toolkit

This toolkit provides a comprehensive introduction to disability inclusion.

CBM International (2022) What Is Disability

This resource provides a summary of what 'disability' is, and how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) frames disability.

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