HUMAN RIGHTS. YES!

Action and Advocacy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2nd Ed.
Human Rights Education Series: Topic Book 6

CONTRIBUTORS


HOME    PROJECT DESCRIPTION    CONTENTS    CONTRIBUTORS    FAQS    ORDERING INFORMATION    CONTACT    JOIN THE DISCUSSION    FIRST EDITION

 

The Editor  

One Billion Strong
(OBS)
is an international, non- governmental organization working to advance the rights of persons with disabilities and to facilitate participation, equality and inclusion in society. The mission of OBS, so named to indicate the substantial world population of persons with disabilities, is to ensure that the obligations set forth in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are made accessible to all through participatory education and implemented through innovative advocacy and example. OBS is managed by an international Board of Directors, an Advisory Board and an Honorary Board of First Ladies.

Human Rights. YES! Action and Advocacy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2nd ed., is a premiere reference manual for training in human rights based on the CRPD. Using this manual as its guide, One Billion Strong supports various projects to advance human rights education for persons with disabilities throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Flowers is a writer, editor, and human rights activist. She has worked to develop Amnesty International USAʼs education program and was a co-founder of Human Rights USA. Recent publications include Compasito, a Manual for Childrenʼs Human Rights Education (Council of Europe, 2007) and Local Action/Global Change: Learning about the Human Rights of Women and Girls, (Paradigm Press, 2007). She has served as a consultant to governments, NGOs, and UN agencies, and edits the University of Minnesota Human Rights Centerʼs Human Rights Education Series.

The Authors: Second Edition

Janet Lord is a Partner in the international law and development firm BlueLaw LLP and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Maryland School of Law. A human rights educator with more than ten years of experience, Ms. Lord has designed and delivered human rights education programs in all regions of the world, most recently in Yemen, Egypt, and Liberia. She participated in all sessions of the negotiation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, drafting proposed treaty text and advising civil society and governments alike on complex legal and technical matters. A leading expert on international human rights law and disability, Ms. Lord has implemented human rights programming for a number of national and international organizations, including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNDP, UN DESA, the US National Council on Disability, Disabled Peoples International, and IFES.

Allison deFranco is a disability rights lawyer who directs projects in BlueLawʼs Human Rights and Inclusive Development practice. She has served as an inclusive education and disability access specialist on various education, democracy and governance programs funded by the U.S. government, AUSaid, the World Bank and private foundations. Ms. deFranco is a skilled trainer and facilitator and has designed and implemented a variety of advocacy-oriented human rights evaluations, assessments and trainings both domestically and internationally.

The Partners: Human Rights. Yes! Second Edition

The University of Minnesota Human Rights Center, through its Human Rights Education programme, works to create and distribute human rights education materials via electronic and print media, to train activists, professionals, and students as human rights advocates; and to build advocacy networks to encourage effective practices in human rights education.

BlueLaw, LLP is a service-disabled, veteran-owned law firm specializing in international law and international development programming. Based in Washington, DC, BlueLawʼs human rights and disability practice group works with disabled peoples organizations, international human rights institutions, and governments to advance disability inclusion in international development programming worldwide.

The Authors: First Edition

Joelle Balfe is an independent consultant with an extensive practice area that includes disability issues, international public health, and human rights law and policy. She has developed human rights education curricula and materials for a range of non-governmental organizations and spearheaded national and international advocacy campaign initiatives. Ms. Balfe provided core analytical and advocacy support to both governments and civil society participants in the development of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Her diverse consulting practice provides analytical, communications, advocacy, and writing services to individuals, organizations, and institutions in the public and private sectors.

Katherine Guernsey is an attorney with a practice focusing on public international law, human rights, disability, and international development. Her clients include the World Bank Group and Disabled Peoplesʼ International. She is also an adjunct professor at the American University School of International Service, where she teaches human rights. Ms. Guernsey served as legal counsel to a variety of disabled peopleʼs organizations and governmental delegations throughout the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and continues to work on issues related to ratification and implementation of the Convention. She has designed and implemented human rights education and awareness-raising initiatives for people with disabilities in Central and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Valerie Karr is an expert in the field of child education with a strong clinical background in special education and extensive experience in international education programming, including consultancies for UNESCOʼs inclusive education sector. Currently a Ph.D. candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, Ms. Karr is a specialist in qualitative and quantitative program analysis, including assessment and evaluation and the development of measurement tools and strategies.

The Partners: Human Rights. Yes! First Edition

Advocating Change Together (ACT) is a grassroots disability rights organization run by and for people with developmental and other disabilities.

Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) is the only global, grassroots, cross-disability network of national organizations and assemblies of persons with disabilities.

The Harvard Law School Project on Disability supports the development of disability civil society, informs innovative legislative and policy development and provides legal advice and human rights training to persons with disabilities, their representative organizations, non-governmental organizations, National Human Rights Institutions, and governments.

The Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, located in Doha, Qatar, is a Center of Excellence designed to provide comprehensive services to children with developmental disabilities, their families and the community.

 

Copyright (c) 2012 University of Minnesota Human Rights Center
Sponsored by One Billion Strong