Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has much to offer the field of international human rights law; generally, just as the history of the development of prior human rights treaties shaped the CRPD. It discusses the CRPD within the context of existing international human rights treaties. However, it introduces ideas that reside within the intersection of the fields of international human rights law, disability law, and disability studies. By embracing this interstitial space, and brings together a number of disciplines and various forms of discourse. The book explores the status of particular right under international law prior to the CRPD. It examines drafting process that led to the adoption of the article, including any controversy within the Ad Hoc Committee about the language or scope of the particular article.