le droit des handicapés

CALL FOR PAPERS ON INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

THE INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT: SELF-ADVOCACY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NOW AND THEN

(2012-3 CALL FOR PAPERS)

A shift in development thinking and policy in the 1970s alongside greater participation of INGOs and the emergence of local NGOs contributed to the growth of social justice movements, raising issues of ethnicity, gender, disability etc. Particularly the women’s movement, the presence of international agencies which provided more space for (political) mobilisation of marginalised groups and the UN Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-92) facilitated the rise of the disability rights movement in the 1980s and 90s across the world: Responding to exclusion and discrimination, activists with disabilities formed groups to claim their political, legal and social objectives, increasingly adopting a rights-based approach. Organisations of persons with disabilities at national and international levels reached the potential to increase awareness on disability rights and promote political and social change. In the 1990s, international influences and access to networking, funding & information for these groups and organisations increased in the context of globalisation. In 2006, the adoption of the CRPD created additional vital momentum, stipulating the role of organisations of persons with disabilities as a driving force in the promotion and monitoring of the rights of persons with disabilities and their participation in development planning & policy making.

Given the complexity and diversity of the issue, the likelihood of forming groups in general and cross-disability umbrellas in particular hasn’t been a simple possibility: Disability cuts across ethnicity, gender, age, class divisions etc. Persons with disabilities are a highly diverse group, e.g. in terms of their impairment and the environment they live in, with equally heterogeneous experiences and needs. Likewise, groups and organisations of persons with disabilities vary in terms of their mandate and approach, their members / membership and their advocacy strategies. In addition, the movement in the different countries and its influence are shaped by ideological influences, the social and political contexts and local opportunities and challenges, which present both the background and stimulus.
It is in this diversity context that this issue aims to illuminate the chequered and multifaceted history of the disability rights movement and self-advocacy of persons with disabilities in low income countries from a local, national or regional perspective, including their origins, history, developments and achievements as well as current challenges. This may include contributions on the following aspects:

• The origins and history of national self-advocacy in the context of social, political and economic dynamics
• Political identity of the disability rights movement & groups and organisations of persons with disabilities
• DPOs’ role and potential in the context of the objectives and the implementation of the CRPD
• The disability rights movement – Equality and recognition of diversities
• Disability rights movement and democratization
• The disability rights movement in the context of other social justice and human rights movements
• Role of transnational discourses on disability rights and self-advocacy
• DPOs between advocacy and service provision

Should you have other relevant topics in mind, please contact us with your suggestions.

PLEASE NOTE

Papers without explicit development links cannot be accepted. We refer to “development” as capturing issues around so-called developing countries/low-income countries and development cooperation.
We strongly suggest that you read the journal’s Information for Authors first (www.zbdw.de – left column: “Information for Authors”) and then contact the coordinating editor for this issue.
Deadline for submission of papers: September 30, 2012, please in soft copy to Susanne_wilm@yahoo.de