Corporations and Disability Rights

Description

The emergence of a decentralized, fragmented, and low-cost Internet opened up possibilities for persons with disabilities to lead an independent and inclusive life, which had been denied to them in the physical world. The virtual world, unlike the physical world, was presumed to be devoid of physical, social, and attitudinal barriers that have historically led to the marginalization and exclusion of persons with disabilities. Yet with advancement in technology, concerns of persons with disabilities to access the Internet were relegated to the background. Since the Internet is largely dominated by corporations, this digital divide cannot be bridged without questioning their role; and corporations, as gatekeepers of the virtual world, need to proactively engage in dismantling barriers to accessing the Internet.
Corporations and Disability Rights engages with the contemporary discourse on the nature of the right to access the Internet and contextualizes this right within the framework of emerging disability rights jurisprudence. This book explores the interplay between human rights of persons with disabilities and corporate obligation in a technologically advanced society. It argues that under disability rights jurisprudence, the right to access the Internet is a human right and not merely an enabling right. It bridges the existing normative and regulatory gaps for the effective realization of the right to access the Internet.

About the Author
Neha Pathakji teaches at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, India.

Table of contents

List of Figures
Table of Cases
Table of Statutes
Foreword by Amita Dhanda
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Embedding the Right to Access the Internet in Human Rights Framework
2. Re-conceptualizing the Corporate Human Rights Obligation
3. Corporations and the Goldilocks Dilemma of International Human Rights Laws
4. Mandating the Midas Touch: Anti-discrimination Laws and Corporations
5. The Interconnected Pentagon Model: From Commitment to Compliance
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
About the Author