Human Rights Centre´s Work on Disability Issues

Strategy on disability rights

The HRC's strategy for the promotion and monitoring of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is to

  • engage in systematic cooperation with associations and authorities working in areas relating to the rights of persons with disabilities

  • engage in systematic cooperation with researchers working in the field of rights of persons with disabilities

Aims

In disability issues, the HRC aims to

  • produce added value especially in areas and matters where other actors have limited roles

  • avoid overlapping its activities with work carried out by other actors

Focus areas 2016–2019

The focus areas of the HRC's work on disability matters for 2016–2019 are

  • promotion of social inclusion,

  • promotion of non-discrimination,

  • promoting participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes,

  • promotion of the right of self-determination, and

  • collection of monitoring data on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Workplan 2018

According to the 2018 action plan for disability issues, the HRC will

  • prepare educational materials about the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

  • carry out a study on the content of the participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making 

  • in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, implement a national targeted fundamental rights barometer for persons with disabilities

  • support disability NGOs in the gathering of empirical data about the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities in Finland

  • develop a website for disability matters to serve a range of user groups and improve the provision of information about disability matters

  • develop the monitoring of the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities and the analysis of monitoring data

  • actively involve the Disability Rights Committee (VIOK) and other NGOs representing persons with disabilities in its activities

  • participate in the work of the disability team of the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman 

  • participate in European (ENNHRI) and international (GANHRI) cooperation of national human rights institutions on disability issues 

  • follow and participate in the work of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD committee)