Two cheers for the Government

While Ruth Patrick is glad the Government has finally ratified the UN Convention on Disabled People’s Rights, celebrations, she says, should be muted

In the ongoing battle for equal rights for disabled people in Britain and beyond, it is not often that we have the time or the inclination to pause and reflect on all that has been achieved by the disability movement. Although most of our energy and campaigning resources are taken up, quite rightly, in pursuing the struggle for disability rights it is vital to take stock of the very real progress that has been made. This allows us to celebrate our successes and should provide ample fuel, in the form of real results for sustained action, to keep the campaigning effort alive.

One such development which should make us pause, and even consider popping a cork and blowing up the odd balloon, is the recent ratification of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities by the British Government. It was only 28 years ago that the UN declared 1981 the year of disabled people worldwide and, at a national level, the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People was formed. In the intervening years, disability discrimination has been legislated against; a disability equality duty enforced for the public sector; and the social model has begun to make real inroads in changing public and political perceptions on disability. And now we have the first international treaty to explicitly set out the rights of disabled people.

The UN convention was signed by the UK back in 2007 but it has reappeared in the news, more recently, because of the Government’s ratification of this treaty on 8 June. Put simply, ratification means that the Government has committed to implementing the treaty and to ensuring that all British law complies with the tenets of the convention.

Whilst the tone of this column is rather celebratory, it is certainly not a call for complacency. Unfortunately, the UK Government chose not to ratify the convention fully by including reservations on immigration, education, defence and benefits. These reservations dilute the scope of the treaty and have been greeted with disappointment and dismay by many disability campaigners.

As the implementation of the convention continues, it is important that the disability movement remains vigilant and works hard to ensure the maximum possible impact of the convention. Campaigners should continue to call on the Government to withdraw its reservations and to honour the treaty in its entirety.

Secondly, the disability movement should make reference to the convention in campaigning efforts so that its message starts to seep into political discourse and public consciousness. The treaty can be held up as a marker against which disabled people’s own experiences can be considered and where found wanting, challenged.

This hard won treaty has great value as an explicit statement of the rights disabled people should expect as equal members of the global society. We just need to make sure we use it!