The right of people with disabilities to participate in cultural life: is Cinderella going to the ball?

Abstract

Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) requires States Parties to ensure accessibility of cultural materials, activities, and heritage. It also obliges them to ‘enable persons with disabilities to have the opportunity to develop and utilize their creative, artistic and intellectual potential’, highlighting the need for appropriate policies to enhance the cultural participation of persons with disabilities. The chapter argues that Article 30 CRPD plays a pivotal role in the realization of the ‘human rights model of disability’ embedded in the Convention. By examining States Parties’ reports, related Lists of Issues and Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the chapter detects trends, challenges, and gaps in States’ approaches to cultural rights of persons with disabilities. It then discusses new paths to operationalizing the human rights model of disability in the cultural field.