Social change is characterized by innovation and modernization. It is affected by the introduction of new developments into social systems and the way in which these spread within and between societies. However social change in regard to diffusion theory has not yet been subject to many field studies.
The complex of themes relating to universal human rights has been resounding. Similar to the long absence of an explicit determination and affirmation of the rights of women and children, the rights of persons with disabilities, too, have long been neglected. The adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD, 2006) has remedied this shortcoming at the international level.
The assertive request of the UN CRPD to guarantee persons with disabilities inclusion and equal, active participation in all aspects of life, living and society is, in such concise form, fundamentally new and may be regarded as an innovation.
Questions rise how this new setting is embraced in societies?
How is the CRPD implemented? What role do diffusion processes play in the adoption and implementation? Do countries revert to experience gained by others? Do they in this process apply methods along the lines of i.a. policy transfer, imitation or even enforcement?
An analysis will be provided on the basis of a comparative qualitative study between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
First findings show that diffusion theory can only partly explain the implementation process of the UN CRPD. Moreover they suggest that processes taking place simultaneously, like the change of a country’s constitution, are of crucial influence and importance to the spread of an innovation which in this particular case is exemplified by the implementation process. Therefor diffusion theory may not be able to fully explain the spread of all scopes of innovations.
