Disability Rights Advocacy in China: Inclusive Education, Civil Society, and Mobilizing Ideas

This chapter examines the impact of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the human rights model of disability on which it rests, on disability rights advocacy in China. It does so by presenting three case studies of initiatives to enhance inclusive education, each of which was led by a civil society organization using ideas rooted in the rights and principles of the Convention. Through a qualitative study into the campaigns led by registered parents’ groups and unregistered grassroots disabled people’s organizations, the chapter analyzes the various roles played by these actors and the strategies they used, highlighting critical factors relevant to promoting disability rights and social change in China.