The right to participate in cultural life of persons with disabilities in Europe: Where is the paradigm shift?

Abstract

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is associated with a paradigm shift in how disability is approached, as it views persons with disabilities as holders of rights and as active members of society. It aims to ensure that people with disabilities are fully included in communal life, and, in Article 30, addresses participation in culture. This research article focuses on the implementation of Article 30, investigating whether there is evidence of the paradigm shift underpinning the CRPD in how cultural participation is approached by States Parties. Focusing on Europe and on the basis of a systematic qualitative document analysis of States’ reports to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and recommendations made by the Committee in response to them, this article shows that the medical model of disability still underpins cultural participation. Signs of a paradigm shift are, however, evident in the way States address accessibility and identities of some groups. Physical access to buildings and heritage is a prominent issue, and awareness of the need to facilitate access to cultural content is emerging. This article concludes that full realisation of the paradigm shift in the cultural domain, while being essential to achieve full inclusion of persons with disabilities, is yet to come.