Introduction

Abstract

Cities around the world are failing people with disabilities, who represent 15-20% of the world's population. These failures exist across every sector of life. Historically, people with disabilities have been treated as objects of charity in need of custodial care. However, urban planners who are well positioned to help usher in a new wave of urban reforms and cities around the world like Dubai are experimenting with more inclusive and equitable policies. These new approaches are fundamentally restructuring urban planning and design. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UAE Federal Law No. 29 challenge normative approaches to spatial justice and policy. This chapter explores how these innovations seek to remove obstacles for people with disabilities. The case of the United Arab Emirates may at first glance appear to be an atypical case of disability-related development, but its unique position illustrates broader structural challenges and tensions inherent to the process of broad-based, cross-sectoral reforms. Building upon an original innovative framework, this book assesses the transformation of disability rights in Dubai and adds an urban dimension to the Capability Model of Disability by addressing the theoretical gaps that impede social inclusion of people with disabilities in cities.