Rule 18. Organizations of persons with disabilities
States should recognize the right of the organizations of persons with disabilities to represent persons with disabilities at national, regional and local levels.of persons with disabilities in decision-making on disability matters States should also recognize the advisory role of organizations persons with disabilities in decision-making on disability matters.
Notes:
Throughout the Rules, reference is made to the critical role of organizations of persons with disabilities. In the international movement, one lesson we learned early was that we have to be concerned with our own issues. We cannot afford to ask others to do it for us. When we negotiated the Rules, we made sure that the role of our organizations was prominent and found everywhere.
Rule 18 is about the role of organizations of persons with disabilities and the responsibility of governments to support them. The first part has to do with the principal tasks that governments have.
They must first recognize that these organizations have a right of persons with disabilities to participate in decision-making about them, and of their organizations to participate on their behalf at all levels.