Implementing Article 19 of the CRPD in Nordic Welfare States: The Culture of Welfare and the CRPD

Abstract

Ciara Brennan and Rannveig Traustadottir provide an account of research carried out in three Nordic welfare states, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which explored the challenges of implementing Article 19—Living independently and being included in the community, of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD 2006). These States have historically been regarded as ‘leaders’ in the area of deinstitutionalisation and community living. The chapter explores how the human rights approach of the CRPD ‘fits’ with the culture of the Nordic welfare states. Brennan and Traustadottir identify a Nordic ‘welfare culture’ as the main obstacle to the implementation of Article 19 of the CRPD in Iceland, Norway and Sweden.