A rights-based approach

Human rights apply to everybody, without discrimination, in all their diversity. The dignity of all human beings must be respected, and each person's dignity is of equal importance. Each time someone's dignity is not respected, each time they are the victim of discrimination, or are not treated or considered as a person in their own right, this is a repudiation of their Human Rights. A person who is discriminated against or marginalised is being deprived of opportunities from which others benefit. This is still too often the case for disabled people today.  

Respect for the rights of people with disabilities has been at the heart of Handicap International's preoccupations since its was founded in 1982. Almost 25 years later, our organisation is still working and fighting, in almost 60 countries, to improve disabled people's living conditions, and ensure that their fundamental rights, the rights of all, are respected : the right to health, education, work, accessibility and security...    

Because the inclusion of disabled people and the recognition of their rights require knowledge of how representations are evolving, Handicap International has decided to inform, raise awareness and share its expertise in this field.

It is therefore offering a series of thematic files giving information on the living conditions of disabled people across the world, highlighting the political issues at national and international level surrounding the inclusion of people with disabilities, and providing awareness-raising tools.