This essay examines the standard of protection of the rights of people with disabilities developed by the Constitutional Court over the past decades, paying particular attention to the most recent decisions, comparing it with that outlined by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as interpreted by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee). In order to advance the scholarly debate on the rights of persons with disabilities in the Italian constitutional jurisprudence, the essay focuses on the reasoning of the Court and compares it with the “human rights model of disability” elaborated by the CRPD Committee. Furthermore, this short essay argues that the concept of substantive equality referred to in Article 3 para. 2 of the Italian Constitution, as interpreted by the Constitutional Court, is quite similar to that of ​​“inclusive equality” that the UN Committee has elaborated. Finally, this essay contends that the fact that the Italian constitutional jurisprudence offers a paradigm of protection similar to that afforded at the international level can be contrasted with the reluctance of the Court to recognize the innovative value of the CRPD. 1. Introduzione. 2. L’adesione (implicita) al modello sociale della disabilità da parte della Corte costituzionale. 3. Lo human rights model of disability e i diritti delle persone con disabilità come espressione dei valori costituzionali: “convergenze parallele” 3.1. Lo human rights model of disability e l’eguaglianza inclusiva quali paradigmi di tutela della Convenzione ONU. 3.2. La Corte Costituzionale e l’approccio ai diritti delle persone con disabilità. 4. La Consulta e la Convenzione ONU: tra aperture e ambiguità. 5. Conclusioni.