Disability Rights in Europe: From Theory to Practice

The UK Disability Rights Commission in partnership with the Department of Law and the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds are pleased to announce a conference to celebrate European Year of Disabled People to be held at the University of Leeds on 25-26 September 2003.

The conference will examine the range of legal strategies which have been adopted internationally to counter discriminationagainst disabled people and facilitate their inclusion into mainstream society.

The conference aims to bring together scholars, policy-makers, lawyers and others to share insights and develop a greater understanding of the issues involved. It is hoped that the conference will also lead to the creation of a network of interested parties who will develop close links for ongoing work. This conference has been accredited with 11 continuing professional development points for solicitors and barristers (5 for the first day and 6 for the second).

The conference has been made possible by sponsorship from the Disability Rights Commission.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Catherine Casserley (Disability Rights Commission)
• Luke Clements (solicitor, senior research fellow, Cardiff Law School)
• Theresia Degener (Professor of Law, Administration and Organisation, Evangelische Fachhochschule Rheinland - Westfalen-Lippe)
• Sandra Fredman (University of Oxford)
• Caroline Gooding (Disability Rights Commission)
• Colin Harvey (Professor of Human Rights and Constitutional Law, University of Leeds)
• Aart Hendriks (Commissioner, Equal Treatment Commission, Netherlands)
• Richard Howitt MEP (chair of the European Parliamentary Intergroup on Disability)
• Nick O'Brien (Director Legal Services, Disability Rights Commission)
• David Ruebain (Head of Education and Disability Law, Levines Solicitors, London, joint chair of mental health and disability law committee of the Law Society of England and Wales)
• Gerard Quinn (Disability Law and Policy Research Centre, National University of Ireland, Galway, and European Co-Ordinator of the Article 13 Network of Legal Specialists on Disability Discrimination)
• Sarah Langton-Lockton (Chief Executive, Centre for Accessible Environments)
• Jacqueline Schoonheim (Lecturer in Private Law, Maastricht University, Netherlands)
• Olivier de Schutter (Professor of Law, University of Louvain, Belgium)
• Stefan Trömel (Director, European Disability Forum)
• Lisa Waddington (Senior Lecturer in European Law, Maastricht University, Netherlands)
• Richard Whittle (Lecturer in European Law, University of Leeds)

Follow these links for more information and to book a place.