What is disability?

Module 1 explains the concept of disability, a fundamental step in understanding why the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was necessary. The module identifies the modern concept of “how disability works” and then places this in the historical context of various approaches to disability based on charity or on the medical diagnosis of impairments. The module examines some of the latter’s consequences and then introduces the human rights approach, which paves the way for module 2. There is some duplication of slides in modules 1 and 2, because module 1 could potentially be presented independently of module 2 or similar concepts could be raised in both modules to reinforce them, depending on the training course and the participants. The facilitator can always pick the slides that fit the presentation.

Related Subject(s): Human Rights and Refugees