The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in December 2006. In Germany, in addition to national regulations, the UN CRPD forms the legal basis for people with disabilities since 2009. The CRPD calls for more participation and self-determination of people with disabilities

The aim of the UN CRPD under article 1 is „to promote the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, to protect and to ensure and promote respect for their inherent dignity ".

After BRK the concept of disability is open and widely understood. A dynamic definition of the term has been selected and set out in Article 1. The term within the meaning of BRK must be understood as: "people with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory damage that in interaction with various barriers can prevent them from participating equally and without limitation in the society ".

An important point here is the disorder of the participation in society. This means that the BRK also includes people who are restricted to the participation in society due to a chronic illness.