Human Rights. YES!: Action and Advocacy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

04.12.2007

In celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd, the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center announces the publication of Human Rights. YES!: Action and Advocacy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This important new resource for human rights educators and activists applies a participatory learning approach to the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and addresses principal areas of advocacy such as –

– Equality and non-discrimination
– Accessibility
– The right to participation in political and public life
– Freedom of expression and opinion
– The right to life and protection in situations of risk
– Freedom from torture and other forms of abuse
– Privacy, integrity, home and the family
– The right to health
– The right to habilitation and rehabilitation
– The right to work
– Living independently and with dignity in the community
– Access to justice
– The right to education
– The right to participation in sport and culture

It also focuses on advocacy for the rights of particular populations such as children, women, and others facing multiple forms of discrimination due to their minority status.

“Human Rights. YES!” was written by experts in the fields of disability rights, international human rights law, human rights education, and grassroots advocacy: Janet E. Lord, Katherine N. Guernsey, Joelle M. Balfe, and Valerie L. Karr. It was edited by Nancy Flowers as part of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Education Series. It was developed by BlueLaw, LLP, Advocating Change Together, Disabled Peoples’ International, and the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and generously funded by the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs in Doha, Qatar.

Human Rights. YES! will be launched today at UN Headquarters in New York during events in honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. An inaugural training was held on December 2nd hosted by Self Advocacy Association of New York and conducted by Minnesota-based Advocating Change Together.

The text of Human Rights. YES! will be available on disk and online gratis in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic at www.humanrightsyes.org . For further information contact Patrick Finnegan the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center: 612-626-0041.