Article 7 Children with disabilities

This chapter examines Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The first instrument to specifically address the rights of children with disabilities was the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).The CRC recognizes four key guiding principles that permeate our understanding and construction of all pertinent rights related to children. These principles are: a) the best interests of the child (Article 3 CRC); b) respect for the views of the child (Article 12 CRC); c) the right to life, survival, and development (Article 6 CRC); and d) non-discrimination (Article 2 CRC). The CRC was also the first instrument specifically to address the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in Article 2(1) (non-discrimination) and Article 23 (general welfare for disabled children). However, Article 7 CRPD and other children-related rights in the CRPD (eg Article 23) constitute a significant improvement to Article 23 CRC.