Disabled individuals are afforded special rights and benefits by many national and international laws. One encompassing treaty by the United Nations, known as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, directs nations to adopt and implement many laws to protect the equality and rights of the world’s nearly six-hundred and fifty million disabled persons. This United Nations treaty is aimed at creating an environment which supports equal opportunities in employment, living, education, culture, politics, marriage, property, athletics, recreation, and health benefits for all disabled individuals in all participating countries.

In the United States, many laws and governmental actions are implemented to protect and aid the disabled citizens of the U.S. The Social Security Administration is committed to aid all disabled and elderly citizens by providing financial support and services to uphold their standard of living. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is frequently cited as instrumental in protecting the employment rights of disabled persons, in all aspects including: hiring, job education, reasonable accommodations, equal pay, and advancement of disabled persons. All places of business and service centers must make reasonable accommodations for the employment, as well as the service and sales, of disabled persons.

In defining the means and standards of an amount of reasonable accommodation for disabled persons, the Americans with Disabilities Act uses several standards to define this process. Reasonable accommodations are intended to be implemented in order for a disabled individual to meet the integral functions of a specific position. Some reasonable accommodations may involve altering the training process to accurately train any person with a disability, modifying the work schedule or work capacity of disabled individuals, allowing the use of aid devices for disabled individuals, and reforming a business venue to make it accessible and easy to maneuver for a disabled person to function and do his/her job.

The World Health Organization uses The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health system in classifying the level or form of disability in each individual. The World Health Organization also uses this system to determine which areas of body functions and structures may be impaired in an individual. These areas include basic living functions, social, community, civic disorders, communication disabilities, mobility hindrances, interpersonal relations and interactions, major life disadvantages, domestic living problems, and inability to administer self-care.

Knowing your rights as a disabled individual is vital to ensure they are being respected. Although one may suffer from varying forms of disability, the opportunity to live a normal and reasonable quality of life is the right of all persons.

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