시민적 권리의 관점에서 본 장애인의 사회통합

Social Inclusion and Social Rights of Citizens with Disabilities

이 논문은 장애인의 사회통합(social inclusion)을 「시민적 권리」의 관점에서 재조명 하고자 하는 하나의 시도이다. 장애인이 처해있는 여러 가지 사회 환경적 맥락에서 볼 때 '시민으로서', 또는 '인간으로서'의 존엄성, 즉 권리를 박탈당하고 있는 현실인식에서 출발한다. 보다 구체적으로는 시민적 권리의 구성요소가 되는 공민권, 정치권 또는 사회적 시민권을 인정받지 못하거나 균형을 이루지 못하고 있다는 관점에서 이 논문을 시작한다. 이러한 맥락에서 최근 국제연합(UN)이 「유엔인권헌장」에 못지않게 장애인권리협약(UN Disability Rights Convention)의 제정을 지속적으로 추진하고 있다는 것은 한마디로 장애인의 권리문제가 세계적인 아젠다로 부상하고 있음을 시사한다. 이 논문의 주제인 「시민적 권리」의 개념은 장애인의 사회통합 수준을 점검하는 하나의 틀(frame work)임과 동시에, 장애인의 재활서비스와 정책수립의 원칙과 목표를 제시하는 역할도 한다. 이 논문에서는「시민적 권리」의 개념을 「포괄적 시민적 권리」의 개념으로 발전시켜 현재 쟁점의 대상이 되고 있는 통합(inclusion)과 배제(exclusion)에 대한 논의를 시도한다.

This paper is an attempt to explore the plausibility of locating the discussion of disability rights in the context of citizenship theory since it is not possible to pursue disability rights without considering the relationships with respect to other rights, namely civil and political rights. The discussion begins with the observation that the UN Convention on Disability Rights has drawn a blueprint for people with disability and does place people with disability firmly on the global agenda. Being on the agenda gives people with disabilities a status and a presence as members of the community to be valued and respected. In other words, the Convention tells us that people with disability are entitled to general social and economic rights, as well as political and civil rights. However, those endeavors to enact disability discrimination legislation to date invariably overlooked the fundamental importance of understanding the interdependence of three elements, which make up the concept of citizenship: namely civil rights, political rights and social rights. In other words, the theme of social rights of people with disability should be discussed in conjunction with two other complementary rights. This paper suggests that understanding of citizenship is a strategically important to answer the question of the 'place of people with disability in contemporary society' and in understanding the politics of disability. At the one end of the spectrum, one notes that the civil and political rights appear to have been granted to the extent that people with disabilities are equal before the law. On the other hand, the issue of granting social rights to people with disabilities remains an unresolved problem in many countries in so far as they are treated as marginal, powerless groups and social underclass. Also, the problem with the preoccupation to secure social rights is that it may inadvertently revert back to the old days of protection, charity and dependence for people with disabilities unless civil and political rights are secured simultaneously. This paper discusses the development and meaning of citizenship concept to argue that the struggle for disability rights as well as the issue of exclusion should be pursued in overall context of the full citizenship. This paper specifically suggests the emergence of disability rights can find its origins in the development of social rights and as such it should be used as a key strategy to address the issue of social exclusion and moves on to substantiate the nature of social exclusion. The overall discussion will be devoted in elaborating some principles that may improve opportunities to consolidate social rights of people with disabilities.