People with disabilities constitute approximately 10% of the world's population. Around 80% of all people with disabilities live in developing countries, and at least half are women. All told, there are an estimated 300 million women with disabilities worldwide, and 240 million of them live in the developing world. In most societies people with physical and mental impairments face disproportionate poverty, disenfranchisement, segregation and denial of basic rights to education, employment opportunities, health care, political participation and community access. Disabled women endure double discrimination based on both gender and disability.
Government delegates and NGO representatives are meeting at the United Nations again August 1-12 for the Sixth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. This process has resulted in a draft document which continues to evolve, and which is designed to guarantee full human rights to the world's disabled people.
Throughout this drafting process, women with disabilities have been organizing and advocating for full inclusion of gender issues in the treaty. Several proposals are being considered and debated. One group is urging adoption of an article specifically addressing disabled women's rights. Another group advocates "mainstreaming" gender throughout the entire convention, by articulating how each component affects women in particular. Some advocates favor a “twin-track" approach, to include both a separate article, and a gender analysis incorporated into the other articles.
