Establishing a disability-inclusive agenda for sustainable development in 2015 and beyond

Disability was omitted from the Millennium Declaration and eight Millennium Development Goals. As a result, individuals with disabilities and their advocates, health-related agencies and major United Nations (UN) groups collaborated to explicate the rights and needs of persons with disabilities. A community empowerment approach was guided by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, input from expert groups, public meetings held across the globe, questionnaires sent to civil society representatives, and rich online conversation. Persons with disabilities have the right to health, education, gainful employment, social protection, and participation in political and public life. Selected results from The World We Want consultation for the topic of ‘Inequalities and a disability-inclusive agenda’ illustrate the potential of reaching consensus among a broad array of constituents, informing decisions about policy and practice.