OHCHR | Feature Stories

Feature Stories

Campaigner champions accessibility and visibility for all
After an accident left him in a wheel chair, former ice hockey player Eric Grassien made it his mission to improve access for himself and others on public transportation in Geneva.
3 December 2021

#WeThe15: A global human rights movement for the 1.2 billion persons with disabilities
Launching just ahead of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, the global #WeThe15 campaign aims to end discrimination against people with disabilities.
20 August 2021

Disability rights campaigners in the Gambia push for “law for all”
A pending bill with the National Assembly in he Gambia has the potential to make life better for thousands of persons with disabilities living in the country.
3 December 2020

Persons with disabilities disproportionately affected by climate change
“Poverty, discrimination and stigma are the main elements that influence the impact of climate change on people with disabilities,” Catalina Devandas Aguilar, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, told members of the Human Rights Council.
24 July 2020

Expert: Give displaced persons with disabilities a chance to participate
With an estimated 5 million internally displaced people in the world having a disability, now is the time to create policies and programs that attend to their specific needs, said Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.
8 July 2020

Knocking down walls to live independently
Matthieu Chatelin has surmounted countless hurdles to live independently and be included in the communities where he has lived.
25 May 2018

A world for all
The wider inclusion of persons with disabilities and the meaningful commitment of the international community to uphold their rights is the only way forward to equality, panellists say at the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
6 December 2017

Sterilization a form of “systemic violence” against girls with disabilities
Forced sterilization is a form of torture and a symptom of the systemic violence that girls and young women with disabilities endure worldwide, says UN expert on the disability rights, Catalina Devandas.
3 November 2017

Evelyn Glennie, defying odds and challenging discrimination against people with disabilities
Dame Evelyn Glennie, renowned solo percussionist who is profoundly deaf, performed at the celebration for the 10th anniversary of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the UN Human Rights Office.
26 September 2016

Australia: the rights of two deaf citizens violated
The Australian Government violated the rights of two deaf people, who when they were called up for jury service, were refused the support they needed, UN experts found.
11 May 2016

People with disabilities have right to inclusive and quality education
An event organised by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities discusses how to make inclusive education a reality.
22 April 2015

Taking a human rights approach to psychosocial disability
Getting the issues concerning persons with psychosocial disabilities or mental health problems dealt with from a human rights perspective has been the focus of work by the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe. A recent event of the “Forgotten Europeans” series looked at human rights challenges faced by these groups.
13 January 2015

Supporting children with disabilities into mainstream schools in Moldova
The UN Human Rights Office in Moldova assists parents who have children with disabilities to successfully campaign for places in mainstream schools and kindergartens.
13 October 2014

The right to take risks and make mistakes: equal recognition before the law for people with disabilities
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities finds that all too often people with disabilities do not enjoy legal equality, which affects their capacity to make fundamental decisions affecting their health, education, work, relationships and political participation.
15 May 2014

A right to education for all, including persons with disabilities
A new UN Human Rights study outlines how to address discrimination against persons with disabilities in the educational system
14 February 2014

Post-2015 development agenda must be inclusive of the rights of persons with disabilities
A high level side event at the United Nations in New York provided an interactive forum for promoting a post-2015 development agenda that is accessible and inclusive of persons with disabilities.
25 September 2013

Sierra Leone: Equal opportunities for persons with disabilities
The voice of persons with disabilities and their rights have been amplified in a new law on disabilities ensuring inclusion on all fronts, in the country’s development and in political plans.
22 May 2013

UN disability rights body confirms that equal access to banking services should be granted to all
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issues an unprecedented decision on a case involving two visually impaired complainants against Hungary.
16 May 2013

Ending abusive practices against people with mental disabilities in Moldova
Procedures that deprive people with mental or intellectual disabilities of their legal capacity put them in a situation of excessive vulnerability to abuse, according to a study on the guardianship system in Moldova.
29 April 2013

Breaking barriers to equal access to work for persons with disabilities
“The right to work is a fundamental human right that is inseparable from human dignity”, said UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay at the annual interactive panel on human rights and persons of disabilities.
16 April 2013

OHCHR and the rights of persons with disabilities

Overview

About the human rights of persons with disabilities

OHCHR’s work on the rights of persons with disabilities

SDG-CRPD resource package: Disability-inclusive Sustainable Development Goals

COVID-19 and persons with disabilities

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