The right to participate in cultural life is profoundly rooted in international human rights law, and, with regard to persons with disabilities, it is enunciated in Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD or the Convention).

Delia Ferri is a Professor of Law at Maynooth University (MU) School of Law and Criminology and co-Director of the MU Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute.

Ann Leahy is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the DANCING project funded by the European Research Council and based in Maynooth University.

0.Introduction. Part One - The Context. 1.The Scholarly Context: Cultural Participation of People with Disabilities in Academic Scholarship and Grey Literature. 2.The Legal Context: The CRPD as Human Rights Framework. Part Two - The Right of Persons with Disabilities to Participate in Cultural Life. 3.The Right of Persons with Disabilities to Participate in Cultural Life. 4.Implementing the Right of Persons with Disabilities to Participate in Cultural Life: Trends, State Narratives and Counter-narratives. Part Three - Realising the Right of Persons with Disabilities to Participate in Cultural Life: Barriers and Facilitators. 5.Barriers to Cultural Participation of People with Disabilities. 6.Facilitators of Cultural Participation of People with Disabilities. 7.Conclusion.