CPACC Quick Reference

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) was the first document to set out fundamental rights that apply to all people everywhere. It forms the foundation on which later disability-specific instruments are built.

⚠️ The UDHR does not name disability as a protected characteristic. People with disabilities are covered by its general human rights provisions, but the absence of explicit mention left a gap that later conventions — particularly the CRPD — were designed to fill.

The CRPD (2006) is the first legally binding international treaty that specifically protects the rights of people with disabilities. It shifts the framing from charity and medical treatment to rights, autonomy, and full participation in society.

⚠️ Signing and ratifying the CRPD are different things. A state that signs expresses intent; a state that ratifies takes on legal obligations. Countries that have ratified must take active steps to implement the rights it describes, not just acknowledge them.

The Marrakesh Treaty (2013) creates a copyright exception that allows people with print disabilities — including blindness and dyslexia — and their organisations to produce and share accessible format copies of published works without needing permission from the rights holder.

⚠️ The Marrakesh Treaty sits at the intersection of copyright law and accessibility. Without it, converting a book into braille or an audio format could technically infringe copyright. The Treaty removes that legal barrier specifically for people with print disabilities.