Inclusive Peacebuilding and Disability: The Lens of Vulnerability

This thesis will argue that a truly inclusive approach to peacebuilding must include the perspective of the disabled. It will argue that the perspective of the disabled continues to be overlooked in models of peacebuilding. And further, bringing the perspective of the disabled to peacebuilding approaches not only adds additional voices to the work of peacebuilding but also brings a new and different lens – the lens of vulnerability – that can generate a significantly different form of understanding of peace, one that is better able to generate positive and sustainable peace. Chapter one will consider theories of peacebuilding, most notably the move toward “inclusive peacebuilding” within the field and will develop the “lens of vulnerability”. In the following two chapters, I use the lens of vulnerability to assess efforts to include persons with disability within peacebuilding. In Chapter two, I consider the work of the United Nations, specifically in the “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities'. In Chapter three, I draw on qualitative research to review the work of a grassroots organization in Nigeria, the Inclusive Friends Association. The final chapter summarizes the main points of the study and offers recommendations for the field of peace studies.