Welfare Reform on the Web (October 2011): Services for the disabled - overseas

Complementing or conflicting human rights conventions? Realising an inclusive approach to families with a young person with a disability and challenging behaviour

K. Muir and B. Goldblatt

Disability and Society, vol. 26, 2011, p. 629-642

Young people with disabilities and challenging behaviour have important rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The siblings and parents of these young people also have human rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The different sets of rights for each group do not always work well together due to the inadequacy of community-based supports and services for the whole family. Governments need to deliver services and supports that realise the human rights of all family members.

Crossing boundaries: foreign funding and disability rights activism in a context of war

S. Wehbi

Disability and Society, vol. 26, 2011, p. 507-520

This article tells the story of what happens when foreign funding crosses national boundaries. Focusing on a case example of disability rights activism in the context of war, it reports findings of a study conducted with activists who were part of a grassroots organisation in Lebanon. It suggests that while foreign funding brings necessary supports, it can hold negative impacts for disability rights activism. It argues that the strategies, approaches and conditions imposed through foreign funding are often problematic because they reinforce neo-colonial discourses leading to the exclusion and marginalisation of disabled people.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and participation in Aotearoa New Zealand

L. Moriarity and K. Dew

Disability and Society, vol. 26, 2011, p. 683-697

This study examines the involvement of persons with disabilities in the development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, from the perspective of key informants in the New Zealand disability sector. It found that participants viewed the interactions between persons with disabilities in New Zealand and officials in New York positively. Participants also viewed the partnership established between persons with disabilities and the New Zealand government positively. More broadly, the participation of persons with disabilities provided a mutually enriching learning experience, reduced political machinations between nations, increased government accountability, and resulted in a more relevant text. The research highlights characteristics of successful participatory processes involving persons with disabilities and some of the benefits of their inclusion in the policy process.