The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a major landmark in the history of disability rights movement. This convention is a reflection of the readiness of the international community to recognize that disability is a human rights issue that requires deeper understanding  and specific action to not to treat persons with disabilities as objects of charity in programmes and policies of countries.

The Government of India has signed and ratifies the convention. But to translate the rights as defined in the Convention into implementable rights, the laws in the country need to be harmonised with the Convention.

VSO India has done a study to understand the Indian Laws from the point of view of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It was proposed to examine the extent to which the rights of Persons with disabilities were recognized and measures & provisions that were in place in the Indian Laws in view of the ratification of UNCRPD by India.

This study examined 82 laws within the above framework. However 14 laws including the Constitution of India and the procedural laws, the disability sector laws and the laws related to women and children have been examined in detail and changes have been suggested therein.

This study is limited to examining laws and finding out their consonance or resonance with the provisions of UNCRPD. It does not provide for actual word-by-word examination and amendments in provisions.

In this context VSO is organizing a sharing workshop 'Women with Disability, UNCRPD and Law In India,' on 28th of August 2009 in New Delhi.  As the venue in Delhi is yet to be confirmed, it will be published at a later date.