Article 19

Lebanon: Disability and Access to Information

Description: Disability is a complex, multi-dimensional human experience that often resists definition and measurement, and the CRPD was an important step towards applying human rights standards to human diversity and complexity. The CRPD sets out civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights, reformulating them around key principles such as accessibility and inclusion. Access to information – the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas – is guaranteed by the CRPD. It is both a vital tool for advocacy and a vital precondition for the enjoyment of other rights. Access to government information on public policy and its outcomes is crucial in order for persons with disabilities to achieve their rights. This report looks at some of the ways that access to information can help persons with disabilities achieve their rights – and ways in which barriers to information can totally undermine their rights. It uses Lebanon as a case study.