The Influence of Disability Rights Policies on the Lives of Filipinos with Disabilities by Daryl Patrick Gamboa Yao
PhD in Disability Studies Dissertation Defense
April 9, 2026
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) establishes disability rights as binding international obligations for States Parties, requiring governments not only to recognize rights in public policies but to implement them in ways that meaningfully transform everyday life for persons with disabilities. Yet the translation of these obligations into national policies and lived realities remains uneven, particularly in postcolonial and low- and middle-income contexts where fragmented governance, sectoral policymaking, and historical legacies shape how rights are interpreted and enacted. As an early ratifier of the UN CRPD and a country with a body of disability-related legislation, the Philippines provides a critical case for examining how international disability rights norms are operationalized across policy texts and experienced on the ground. Guided by Article 3 of the UN CRPD as a conceptual framework, this dissertation includes two distinct phases. In the first phase, I conducted a policy review of Philippine disability laws and their implementing rules and regulations to examine how disability is conceptualized and defined, and the alignment or tension between policy provisions and the general principles of UN CRPD Article 3. In the second phase, I conducted semi-structured interviews with Filipinos with physical disabilities to understand how these rights are experienced and negotiated in everyday life. Findings from the policy review revealed that the conceptualization of disability is embedded in medicalized and selective recognition of rights. Moreover, while Philippine policies formally affirmed the UN CRPD principles, they often coexist with conditions, restrictions, or administrative requirements that constrain access, limit participation, and impede effective implementation. In the semi-structured interviews, participants shared their everyday realities of exclusion related to policies and the strategies they employ to confront injustices in daily life. This dissertation revealed a persistent disconnect between rights “on the books” and rights “on the streets,” underscoring the importance of critically examining both policy and lived experience. There is a need for meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and stronger institutional accountability to advance disability rights in the Philippines.
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Zoom Info
https://uic.zoom.us/j/87551927564?pwd=rtyLalbUzjd9eHVd6zPtvYoyTaQMtu.1
Meeting ID: 875 5192 7564
Passcode: 9Vin7ea2
Date posted
Mar 9, 2026
Date updated
Mar 11, 2026