in English - Handicap International

Finally, there is no question that rehabilitation is important for improving people’s
health conditions, skills and abilities. It would be illogical to oppose rehabilitation
in any way. However, it is incorrect to view every disabled person only as
a patient, or to restrict their ability to decide what they need or limit their rights
in any way. Less emphasis should be placed on their health, and more needs
to be focused on other human needs. Otherwise, they receive incomplete
assistance and support.
c. The human rights paradigm
The human rights paradigm centers on intrinsic human dignity. In other words,
the dignity that comes simply from the fact of being human, independent,
or possessing other conditions or traits: being a man or a woman, the color
of one’s skin (black, copper, yellow, white, etc.), one’s age, height, disability,
social status, etc.
According to this approach or paradigm, a disability is just one more trait found
among the entire range of human beings, rather than the trait that defines a
person’s entire existence, that sums up a person’s life in a framework of discrimination
and exclusion.
In the view of this paradigm, a disability is a social outcome that results when
people with deficiencies interact with attitudinal and environmental barriers
that restrict their full and effective participation, their inclusion, and their development
in the society where they live, under equal conditions as those enjoyed
by others.
According to this model, the “problem” of the disability is located in the sociocultural
and physical domain, and is derived from a lack of state and societal
awareness about the difference represented by a disability.
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