29 Jul
UN RPC Chair Says Disabled New Zealander’s Should Pressure Government Over Convention
Disabled people in New Zealand should to put pressure on the Government to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). So said Professor Ron McCallum, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during a recent visit to NZ hosted by the Human Rights Commission. The UN Committee is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Disability Convention by States Parties. McCallum is also professor at the University of Sydney Law School and is the first totally blind person to be appointed to a full professorship in Australia. The HRC reports that Professor McCallum met with government officials and community people to share information and discuss issues around monitoring the Convention. Professor McCallum believes the most important aspect of the Convention is its reliance on the social model of disability. This model states that people who have impairments are a natural part of our human diversity and that society creates barriers by not considering all people when designing buildings, websites, policies, etc. This view clarifies that government and society must commit to removing the barriers they create, so that all people can participate. There is particular onus on NZ to implement the Convention because NZ was instrumental in progressing the CRPD, and in fact won the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award for making noteworthy progress towards the full participation of citizens with disabilities.
