Dunedin lawyer and ACC researcher Warren Forster made that point in Dunedin yesterday on the first main day of the conference.
For many people in New Zealand, ''human rights under the convention are more of a nice idea than an everyday thing'', Mr Forster said.
There was no point in having an international convention if it was ''not real in people's lives''.
''It is up to all of us to make the convention real,'' he said.
''Human rights are not real in our lives if people are falling through the cracks, or caught up in disputes between government agencies about who should be helping.''
He also paid tribute to the late University of Otago disability support leader Donna-Rose Mackay in bringing together an earlier conference, titled ''Every Body In'', at the university in 2011, and for ''sharing her vision with us''.
He also acknowledged the contribution of other conference speakers, New Zealand's inaugural disability rights commissioner Paul Gibson, disability rights activist Robert Martin, and Aotearoa New Zealand disability sector leader and consultant Gary Williams.
He asked, ''What if the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities was something we used everyday?''
''What if we didn't even have to mention anything to anyone about our rights and instead could all just live our lives?
''The day will come when the convention's aspirations are realised.
''We will navigate the journey more quickly if we all work together.''
A total of 260 people are attending the conference, which ends tomorrow.
