The Human Rights Agenda for Persons With Intellectual Disabilities

This extensive study explores ways in which the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities may be enacted in the lives of individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. A broad range of rights, issues, and research is examined related to health, education, the law, sexuality, parenting, and daily living, with the goal of exploring the history of concerns and barriers to rights enactment. Examples of rights promotion programs are described and strategy recommendations are provided for organizations and self-advocates committed to the promotion of the authentic enactment of human rights.

Dorothy Griffiths is a professor in the child and youth studies department at the Center for Applied Disabilities Study and the codirector of the International Dual Diagnosis Certificate Program at Brock University. She is the author of Behavioral Supports: Individual Centered Interventions and Ethical Dilemmas: Sexuality and Developmental Disability. Frances Owen is a psychologist and associate professor of child and youth studies and applied disability studies at Brock University. She focuses on prevention and intervention approaches for children, youth, and adults with exceptionalities. They both live in St. Catharines, Ontario. Shelley L. Watson is an associate professor in the psychology department at Laurentian University. Her main areas of interest are in intellectual disabilities, human rights, and sexuality. She lives in Sudbury, Ontario.