Disabled Peoples' International

Description

Disabled Peoples’ International, DPI, is a human rights organization that works for the rights of people with disabilities and their full and equal participation in society.

It is a cross disability, consumer controlled network made up of national organizations and assemblies of disabled people, active in more than 130 countries. Its stated goals are to promote the human rights of disabled people, to promote their economic and social integration, and to develop and support organizations run by disabled people themselves. DPI holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and takes part in the Conferences of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

DPI is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with regional offices covering Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and North America and the Caribbean. It was established in 1980 and 1981 by disabled people who split from an existing rehabilitation organization to demand control by disabled people themselves rather than by non-disabled professionals.