The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on 13 December 2006. It has been in effect since 3 May 2008. As of July 2020, 182 countries have ratified the Convention (they have promised the United Nations they will obey the Convention). As of 23 December 2010, the European Union has collectively ratified the Convention.
Part of the Convention includes meetings to make sure the Convention is being followed. People with disabilities can also take part in these meetings.
The preamble (beginning) of the Convention recognizes these things:
Article 1 sets out the purposes or goals of the Convention:
Article 1 also says that there are many types of disabilities: physical disabilities, mental illnesses, intellectual disabilities, muteness, deafness, and blindness. According to Article 1, all of these people should be protected by the Convention.
Article 2 explains what certain words in the Convention mean. For example:
Article 3 says the Convention is based on these values and goals:
Article 4 says that countries must make sure people with disabilities have full human rights by:
Countries must forbid all discrimination because of disability. Countries must also protect all persons against discrimination.
Countries must understand that women and girls with disabilities suffer from double discrimination (they face discrimination both because they are disabled "and" because they are female). Countries must protect them so that they can enjoy human rights equally.
Countries must take action to make sure children with disabilities enjoy the same rights and freedoms as children without disabilities. In all actions about children with disabilities, the most important thing is the child's best interests what is best for the child. Children with disabilities should be able to have a say in decisions that affect them.
Countries must raise awareness and increase respect toward persons with disabilities. They must work to correct stereotypes and prejudice against people with disabilities.
Countries must make changes (reasonable accommodations) and laws so people with disabilities can:
Every human being has the right to live. Countries must do everything they can to make sure people with disabilities can enjoy life as fully as people without disabilities can.
When war, a natural disaster, or any other kind of emergency happens, countries must protect and save persons with disabilities. This is in line with international law on humanitarian aid and human rights.
Countries should give people with disabilities the support they need to exercise their legal rights for example, by:
Countries should also make sure that nobody takes advantage of people with disabilities.
People with disabilities have the right to access the justice and court systems just like people without disabilities. Countries must give special training on dealing with individuals with disabilities to people working in the justice system, including police and prison guards.
Person with disabilities has the right to access to the justice and court equally with other persons. To help this countries must do training for police and staff in prison. This Ariticle is cited with Article 12 by UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
People with disabilities have the right to liberty and safety. A person's freedom can never be taken away just because they have a disability. Countries must make sure people with disabilities are free and safe, even if this means making reasonable accommodations.
All people are free from:
Countries must do everything they can to protect people with disabilities from violence and abuse.
Every person with disabilities has a right to be given respect for his or her physical integrity and mental integrity, the same way people without disabilities are.
People with disabilities have the right to move about freely, without being restricted. They have the right to choose their nationality and where they want to live.
People with disabilities have the right to choose where they want to live, and who they want to live with. They cannot be forced to live in a certain place just because they are disabled. They should have supports and services to help them live independently at home and participate in their communities. Community activities should be accessible to people with disabilities. People with disabilities should not be isolated or segregated from society.
Countries must do any policy for persons with disabilities to get personal moving aides and support at cheap cost.
Countries must do all policy for person with disabilities to be able to express, to state opinion and to seek, receive and share information and ideas through Braille, sign languages and Internet.
Countries must protect the private life of persons with disabilities about their own health and rehabilitation information.
Countries must do all policy to abolish discrimination against persons with disabilities about marriage, family, adoption, being parents and relationships. Any compulsory sterilization must be prohibited.
Countries must admit that persons with disabilities have the right to inclusive education without discrimination and with equal chance, also education for adult and lifelong learning. The aim of education is to develop human dignity, self-worth, self-esteem, and respect for human rights and human diversity, and for person with disabilities to develop their personality, talents, and creative nature. And for their full and equal participation in education as members of the community, countries must make it easy to learn Braille and sign language and also employ teachers with disabilities for this end.
Countries must admit that persons with disabilities have the rights to enjoy the highest possible standard of health without discrimination and with informed consent.
Counties must do habilitation and rehabilitation, that is aid to help independence and full physical, mental, social and vocational ability for the persons with disabilities, as early as possible with consideration of the individual needs and strengths of the persons, and also through peer support.
Countries must admit the right of person with disabilities to work in just, good, safe and healthy condition and do policy that forbid all discrimination and bullying because of disability, and further must promote chance for person with disabilities to do self-work, entrepreneur and start one's own business. They must make more jobs for persons with disabilities also in public sector. Any unfree labour must be prohibited.
Countries must admit that person with disability have the right to an adequate standard of living including right to housing without discrimination and must give social protection or welfare, especially for women and girls, and also financial aid for person in poverty.
Countries must admit that person with disabilities have the rights to take part in political and public life, also rights to be elected.
Countries must admit that persons with disabilities have the right to take part in cultural life and enjoy recreation, leisure and sports without discrimination and with reasonable support. And persons with disabilities must be given the chance to grow and use their own creative and intellectual or artistic capacity, not only for themselves but for better society, and their own identity on culture and language including sign language and culture of persons with disabilities.
Countries must make a national human rights institution to realise this Convention and to watch the condition of the application of this, and make persons with disabilities enable to participate the institution.
United Nations will make the Committee on this Convention by countries to realise this Convention.
This Convention must be published in a way accessible for all.