Robert, who has worked tirelessly his whole life to challenge what others have said is possible for him and his friends, has been busy talking to media and taking messages of congratulations since his appointment was announced “I am very proud to have been elected to the Committee for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.
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New Zealand’s Minister for Disability Issues Nicky Wagner, who accompanied Mr Martin at the United Nations this week, said he had the personality, skills and energy to improve life for people with disabilities.
Martin, 59, is a leader in his country’s disability community and evaluates disability support services funded by the government.
“I really believe in closing all institutions down, because they are archaic, they are from the 18th Century and they are not from the 21st Century”, Mr Martin said.
Mr May said the Bill made provisions for the protection of rights of persons with disabilities in accordance with the convention.
It has been signed by 164 of the 193 member nations and is a blueprint to end discrimination and exclusion of the physically and mentally disabled, Associated Press reports.
The committee monitors the implementation of policies which protect the rights of disabled people, as set out by UN Convention. Countries must also ensure the equal right of the disabled to own and inherit property, to control their financial affairs, and to privacy over their personal lives.
“Let us work together for a world of opportunity and dignity for all, a future of inclusion, one in which we all gain by leaving no one behind”, he added.
“The final outcome was richer as a result of his input”, she said.
“I think it’s time people started to hear about what it’s like for people with a learning disability”, he said.
A biography of Martin, “Becoming a Person“, recounted how he suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse during a childhood spent in large institutions and foster homes.
“Having someone with a learning disability on the committee will show everybody how to be inclusive and will bring everybody to the table”.
The Kiwi activist’s term runs from 2017 until 2020.
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The convention lasts through Thursday.
