A/HRC/43/27 alone was not effective in tackling the assumptions, attitudes and stereotypes that perpetuated discrimination against persons with disabilities. B. The need for awareness-raising regarding persons with disabilities 7. In the preamble to the Convention, it states that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society. Hence, attitudinal barriers are at the centre of the cause of exclusion of persons with disabilities. Negative attitudes can be based on multiple grounds, including prejudice, religious beliefs, low expectations and even fear. Awareness-raising about persons with disabilities and their rights aims to break the cycle of cause and effect of disability-based discrimination that prevails in society by addressing negative attitudes. 8. Persons with disabilities may adopt these negative attitudes themselves, limiting their personal expectations and ambitions and resulting in lower self-esteem and disempowerment. They may be more exposed to abuse and exploitation due to their lack of awareness and information about their rights, what such rights entail and how to exercise and invoke them should they be threatened or infringed. 9. Although estimations indicate that persons with disabilities represent up to 15 per cent of the world’s population, disability remains largely invisible as a human rights issue. In addition, a glaring gap exists in understanding disability and how violations of the human rights of persons with disabilities oppresses them. Awareness-raising is fundamental in increasing the visibility of the situation of persons with disabilities, both in preventing and eradicating practices that negatively impact them and disseminating information on policies and practices that contribute to the enjoyment of their rights, inclusion and participation. 10. The media plays a fundamental role in shaping attitudes towards persons with disabilities and represents an important tool in providing information about rights and promoting inclusive societies. However, persons with disabilities and disability as a social construct are largely absent in the media. The increasing involvement of persons with disabilities and improvements in the practices of media services can contribute to improving the portrayal of this population, facilitating access to information and combating stigmatization and stereotyping. 1. Understanding disability 11. Disability is the social effect that results from the negative attitudinal and environmental barriers imposed on persons with impairments that prevent them from fully enjoying their rights. There are multiple perspectives on the root causes of these barriers. Some sociologists have argued that the role of persons with disabilities is intrinsically linked to their economic contribution to society. Consequently, a person is valued only if he or she is able to produce or consume on an equal basis with others. This would explain their exclusion, while providing a key for economic inclusion. Others focus on the cultural role, which explains their segregation or inclusion in religious, tribal or traditional societies. Hence, persons are valued as long as they conform to the values accepted by the majority of a given community. These approaches usually are strongly linked and untangling them may be artificial. 12. Discrimination and exclusion of persons with disabilities have been explained in sociology using different models of disability, which help to illustrate why societies give certain roles to persons with disabilities at a given time and within a given context. Currently, all models coexist, often in the same territory and at all levels of development, and have different effects. The charity and medical models are the most prevalent in law, policy and practice. The social model and the human rights model of disability are less represented in law and policy. These models have superseded the charity and medical models. They promote an inclusive perspective of persons with disabilities. Identifying them helps to better plan awareness-raising actions. 3