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“More Honoured in the Breach than in the Observance”—Self-Advocacy and Human Rights

Petri, Gabor, Beadle-Brown, Julie, Bradshaw, Jill (2017) “More Honoured in the Breach than in the Observance”—Self-Advocacy and Human Rights. Laws, 6 (4). Article Number 26. ISSN 2075-471X. (doi:10.3390/laws6040026) (KAR id:64564)

Abstract

Background: Since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), human rights have become central for disability advocacy. The CRPD requires that disabled people and their representative organisations (DPOs) have a prominent role in the implementation and monitoring of the Convention. However, the representation of people with intellectual disabilities or autistic people is still often indirect, carried out by parents or professionals.

Methods: This is a qualitative research which looks at how self-advocates (SAs) with intellectual disabilities or autism participate in DPOs and how they see the role of human rights and laws such as the CRPD in their advocacy. Data was collected in the UK and in Hungary between October 2016 and May 2017. A total of 43 advocates (SAs and other advocates) were interviewed. For the analysis, thematic analysis was used.

Results: findings indicate that most participants have limited knowledge of the CRPD and human rights. Human rights are usually seen as vague and distant ideas, less relevant to everyday lives. SAs may not feel competent to talk about the CRPD. The inclusion of SAs in DPOs is mostly tokenistic, lacking real participation.

Conclusions: The CRPD can only bring meaningful change to SAs if they get full membership in DPOs.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.3390/laws6040026
Uncontrolled keywords: self-advocacy; intellectual disabilities; autism; learning disability; disabled people’s organisations; disability movement; social movement; Hungary; United Kingdom; human rights; United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Tizard
Depositing User: Gabor Petri
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2017 13:43 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 02:55 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/64564 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Petri, Gabor.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5033-7838
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Beadle-Brown, Julie.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2306-8801
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Bradshaw, Jill.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
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