The citizens and governments must now do what we know can and should be done. The efforts of the ‘Human Dignity Program’ in Bulgaria, Europe – as described in this show – are a first step and may serve as a good example for action to ensure the full rights and citizenship of all people with intellectual disabilities. The photographs of this show vividly exemplify what can be done to release the human spirit to the joy of all. They are living proof of what the values of the UN convention can achieve when successful reform models are applied. They show how the legacy of exclusion and dehumanization can be successfully overcome. The changes depicted were not expensive and they required no magic. But they do show the majesty of a simple idea – human dignity. They show what can be done when governments and civil society commit – really commit – to the simple yet profound idea of equal dignity for all human beings. They show the human condition at its worst but also at its best. And in their own way they prove why the UN convention is so important all over the world.

Gerard Quinn, Professor of Law, National University of Ireland, member of the Irish Human Rights Commission, co-director of a European Commission Network of Discrimination Lawyers