A/HRC/19/36 20. In its broadest sense, participation is a theme that runs throughout the whole Convention. Full and effective participation and inclusion in society are included in the list of general principles that guide the interpretation and implementation of the entire Convention, cutting across all issues (art. 3 (c)). These concepts mean that society, both in its public and in its private dimensions, is organized to enable all people to take part fully in all its spheres. 21. Being fully included in society means that persons with disabilities are recognized and valued as equal participants. Their needs are understood as integral to the social and economic order and not identified as “special”. To achieve full inclusion, an accessible, barrier-free physical and social environment is necessary. Linked to the concept of participation and inclusion is that of universal design, which requires the consideration of the needs of all members of society during the design of products, environments, programmes and services, so as to ensure that no adaptation or specialized design are required later on (art. 2). 22. Article 4 of the Convention, which lists the general obligations undertaken by States parties to ensure and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities, includes an obligation to consult and involve persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement the Convention, as well as in decision-making processes affecting their lives and their full participation and inclusion in society (art. 4, para. 3). 23. States parties must also ensure that persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are involved and participate fully in monitoring the implementation of the Convention at the national level (art. 33, para. 3). States are also invited to give due consideration to the duty to consult closely and to involve actively persons with disabilities in the nomination of experts to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (art. 34, para. 3). IV. Article 29 and its interdependence with other Convention rights 24. Participation in political and public life is closely related to and dependent upon the implementation of other Convention provisions, including: (a) Article 4, para. 1 (b), which requires States parties to take all appropriate steps, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities; (b) Article 9, which imposes an obligation to adopt adequate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have access, on an equal basis with others, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems; (c) Article 12, which reaffirms the right of persons with disabilities to recognition everywhere as persons before the law and to enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life; (d) Article 19, which recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to full inclusion and participation in their community; (e) Article 21, which calls for the adoption of all appropriate measures to facilitate access to information, whether provided through public or private entities, in accessible formats, and the use of sign languages, Braille, and other accessible means, 6