Abstract

In 2006, the Convention on the rights of person with disabilities marks the development from the medical model, centred on the medical aspects of disability, to the social model, which focuses on human rights, on the needs of each individual, and places the «problem» of disability not anymore in the person but into the society. The state and civil society have the duty of taking into consideration the different abilities and needs derived from physical, psychological, mental or sensory deficiencies. The debate on the rights of persons with disabilities has become a wider debate on the place that difference occupies in society and the role of the state in the integration of this difference. The ultimate objective of this social perspective of human rights is to make societies ready for integration, valuing difference and respecting the values of human dignity and equality.