When the state does not care: disability rights in a context of multi-layered crises, instability and disablism

Although the UNCRPD is the guarantor for the rights of persons with disabilities, it is critiqued for conceptualizations of individualized rights, in stable contexts where rights are state-protected. We investigate how disability rights can be advanced in unstable and crisis-affected contexts in the Global South. We use the case of Lebanon, which has experienced multi-layered crises, has not ratified the UNCRPD, and has outdated policies based on charity-medical models of disability. We argue that, in a disablist and unstable state, any progress made is threatened by the absence of institutionalization of rights, and interrogate the limitations of the UNCRPD. Through a critical policy review and interviews with self-advocates and disability activists, we suggest a new model of action for disability rights affirmation by strengthening community governance, initiatives and networks; solidarity and joint actions between disability and wider civil society groups; international advocacy; and the political identity of the disability movement.