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United Arab Emirates Debates Disability Terminology
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | August 10, 2008
Most international treaties in reference to people with disabilities use terminology such as, "persons with disabilities." Among people with disabilities ourselves, the preferred terminology, although varying from country to country, usually involves some variant of "people with disabilities" or "disabled people" or "persons with disabilities" in English-speaking countries, or "personas con discapacidades" (people with disabilities) in Spanish speaking countries.
In United Arab Emirates (UAE), at least among parents of children with disabilities, the preferred term has been, "people with special needs," Khaleej Times Online has reported ("Proposal to term ’special needs’ people as ‘disabled’ sparks debate") They consider the term "disabled" to be harsh and offensive. It is not clear from the article whether people with disabilties in UAE themselves agree with parents.
However, the government has recently proposed to stop using the term "people with special needs" and use the term "disabled" instead. This change was inspired in part by a wish to make their legal terminology more consistent with the language used in international treaties–such as the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
United Arab Emirates has signed both the CRPD and also the accompanying Optional Protocol. Signing a treaty does not yet legally obligate a country to obey it, but it does signal strong interest in ratifying it in the future. Ratifying a treaty is legally binding. Countries that ratify the CRPD must abolish laws that violate the CRPD and create new laws, as needed, to protect the human rights of people with disabilities as listed in the CRPD. Some of the human rights the CRPD protects include the right to receive communication in accessible format (e.g., Braille or sign language interpreters); the right to be free of abuse and torture; the right to access education, health care, and public transportation; and the right to work and an adequate standard of living.
Parents in UAE consider the government change in terminology, from "people with special needs" to "disabled" to be controversial. Read more about their reactions in the Khaleej Times at:
Find out if your country has signed or ratified the CRPD at http://www.un.org/disabilities/countries.asp?navid=12&pid=166
Learn more about the CRPD and Optional Protocol by skimming the RatifyNow FAQ.
Learn how you can become involved with the global campaign to promote the ratification and implementation of the CRPD and Optional Protocol in your country and elsewhere.
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