Submission Instructions

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) was adopted in December 2006. The Special Issue will examine the progress in implementing the Convention in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand across the two decades.

Submissions are invited on any aspect of the Convention as it applies to people with intellectual disabilities. Articles might be conceptual in nature (e.g. exploring the underpinnings of the UN CRPD). They might report original data from research or report publicly available data, especially from Australian or New Zealand sources. They might be literature reviews, summarising and critiquing progress to date, and offering suggestions for the future. Articles can focus on Australia, New Zealand, or both countries.

The topics worthy of consideration are many and varied, and prospective authors should select one based on their interests. We will also seek the perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities and their family members through invited commentaries, and potentially commission articles from the national advocacy organisations that represent and work with people with intellectual disabilities.

The Special Issue will be published in November 2027 (Issue 2), and articles will be published online as soon as they are accepted. Submissions are due by 31 January 2027. Article length can extend to 6000 words. They will be peer-reviewed. This Special Issue will be co-edited by the Lead Editor, Alan Hough and Guest Co-Editor, Professor Emerita Patricia O’Brien AM. We invite you to express your interest in preparing an article for this Special Issue of RAPIDD by emailing the editorial office
(rapidd-jnl@bigpond.com) or contacting the Editor and Guest Editor directly.

Since the Convention's creation, there have been clear areas of progress from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities. These include:

• the increased recognition of people with intellectual disabilities as right holders rather than as recipients of welfare
• the closure of institutions
• greater awareness of supported decision-making
• increased resourcing, accompanied by individualised funding
• support for improved health
• the regulation of restrictive practices, and
• improved support for parents with intellectual disabilities.

However, as this list was drafted, the authors are acutely aware that progress on each topic has been mixed. Further, there continue to be inadequate responses in other areas, including:

• recognition of the unique needs of people with intellectual disabilities, especially those with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities, compared to other people with disabilities
• the support for people with intellectual disabilities who do not have active families and friends, and
• the number of people with intellectual disabilities who live in poverty.