The World report on disability defines rehabilitation as “a set of measures that assist individuals who experience, or are likely to experience, disability to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with their environments”. Rehabilitation is an essential first step that empowers persons with disabilities and enables their interaction with other people and participation in different activities including education, work, leisure etc.

Article 26, Habilitation and Rehabilitation, of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls for: “... appropriate measures, including through peer support, to enable persons with disabilities to attain and maintain their maximum independence, full physical, mental, social and vocational ability, and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of life”.