Civil Rights in the CRPD
- The right to legal capacity (to make one’s own decisions)
- The right to liberty
- The right to live in the community
- The right to respect for physical & mental integrity
- The right to freedom from torture, violent exploitation and abuse
- The right to healthcare and to free and informed consent in health services
- The right to education
- The right to vote and to participate in public & cultural life
- The right to work, and to an adequate standard of living
- The right to privacy
- The right to habilitation & rehabilitation
- The right to receive information in accessible formats
- The right to marry and to divorce, and to share equally in child custody
- The right to procreate, & the right to obtain contraception
- The right to sign contracts, and own and inherit property
- The right to accessible public transit and public accommodations
Does the Convention create new rights?
No. The Convention does not create any "new rights" or "entitlements." It simply guarantees that people with disabilities will enjoy rights “on an equal basis” with people without disabilities. For example, if a nation that ratifies the treaty guarantees children the right to attend public school, children with disabilities in that nation will also have the right to attend public school. To make sure that children with disabilities benefit from their education, the public schools will have to make their classrooms and teaching methods accessible to children with all types of disabilities.