Art.1 Purpose

Abstract

This chapter examines Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The article sets out the purpose of the CRPD and describes its target group. It enshrines a ‘paradigm shift’ in approach to the concept of ‘disability’ in international human rights law: a shift from an approach underpinned by a ‘medical model of disability’ that views persons with disabilities as ‘objects’ of medical treatment and in need of charity; to a ‘social model of disability’, which views persons with disabilities as ‘subjects’ with rights and focuses on the barriers persons with disabilities face that may hinder their societal participation.