Towards Economic Empowerment for Disabled People: Exploring ...

compete with others on an equal basis in work and employment. The
Convention is a hugely significant development, as it officially defines
disability as a human rights issue which needs to be incorporated into national
laws and policies. It has so far been signed by 153 countries (UN Enable,
2012), which represents a broad international consensus to adopt the principles
that are enshrined in its pages, such as the need to empower, protect rights,
promote inclusion and address poverty issues. Of these countries, 112 have
also ratified the agreement (ibid), which means that, for them, the treaty is a
legally-binding piece of international law.
Among the countries that have signed and ratified the UNCRPD are Kenya
and India. While these two countries represent very different contexts, in terms
of geography, demography and culture, they also share some common bonds
in relation to disability issues. Disabled People living in both countries are
likely to be living in poverty, to lack access to basic services and to face huge
barriers to participation in society, as the literature reviewed in Chapters Six
and Seven highlights. Both countries have, in the past, adopted national
legislation that recognises, to some extent, the need to promote disability
rights and to remove those barriers to participation. 4 The Governments of both
countries now appear to accept, however, that existing legislation is deeply
flawed, and needs to be harmonized in line with the Convention. They also
appear to recognize the inadequacy of official disability statistics, and the need
to build a true picture of the scale and complexity of disability. Furthermore,
there is evidence to suggest that the Governments of both countries, along with
4 See Chapters Six and Seven for an examination of relevant national legislation in each of these
countries.
3