Marcia Rioux, Director of the Roeher Institute, Canada, writes that in spite of the social and legal requirement under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Canada), people with disabilities are still waiting for equal rights with their differences being respected and taken into account. To understand why change is so slow, Rioux discusses the historical perspective of treatment of people with disabilities which cause people to want to "fix" the individual rather than recognising people's differences and using them as a basis for changing what exists to make it accessible. She argues "they" must become a part of "us" and we must move the agenda from charity to rights, service to support. This involves changing whole systems and needs legal entrenchment because it is one way the political system shapes social policy. Keyword: Theory