The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was formally opened for signature and ratification in March 2007. On the day of its opening, over eighty UN member states signed the CRPD, a record number for the first day of signature of any UN Convention so far. Reflecting a paradigm shift that positions people with disabilities as “subjects” of human rights rather than “objects” of pity and charity, it was the culmination of a long and successful campaign by the international disability movement and was celebrated as a catalyst for change on human rights and disability throughout the world.