DRPI Co-Directors

Dr. Bengt Lindqvist, UN Special Rapporteur on 1994-2002 Dr. Marcia H. Rioux, Professor & Graduate Program Director (Critical ) York University International Advisory Committee

Dr. Lindqvist and Dr. Rioux draw on the expertise and guidance of an Advisory Committee composed of 16 experts in disability rights, , legal advocacy and education from around the world.

hts P ig ro R m o y t t i i o

l i n

Contact Information b

a I

n

s

i

t

Project Co-ordinator: e D

r

n

l

a Rita M. Samson LL.B., M.A. (Human Rights) a t i n

5021 TEL, York University o 4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada Telephone: +1 416 736 2100 ext. 20718 Fax: +1 416 736 5986 E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.yorku.ca/drpi For More Information... u.ca/drpi

Visit DRPI’s Resources and Publications page to read DRPI’s progress and country monitoring reports: Disability Rights www.yorku.ca/drpi/resources.html Promotion Published with financial assistance from www.york the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) International About DRPI Holistic Disablility Rights Monitoring

isability Rights Promotion International (DRPI) is a collabora- isability rights monitoring is important for raising awareness Dtive project working to build global ability to monitor the hu- Dabout disability-based discrimination and the negative impact man rights of people with . Us- it has on the lives of people with disabili- ing a human rights approach to disability, History of DRPI ties. Knowing this encourages positive ac- DRPI seeks to establish a sustainable, holis- tion to combat disability discrimination. tic monitoring system to address disability- n November 2000, the Special Rap- DRPI has developed a holistic approach to based discrimination throughout the world. Iporteur on Disability, Dr. Bengt Lindqvist, hosted an monitoring disability rights, focusing on international seminar in , . Twenty- finding the facts in three key areas: • Working with People with Disabilities: seven experts from around the world discussed measures DRPI monitoring is led by people with dis- to strengthen the protection and monitoring of the human 1. individual experiences of people abilities themselves. People with disabilities rights of people with disabilities. Among the seminar with disabilities; and their organizations play leading roles in participants were representatives of all the major interna- 2. systemic measures taken to protect project governance and implementation. tional disability organizations, the Office of the UN High and promote disability rights (laws, Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Secretariat, policies, programs) • Human Rights Approach: DRPI is ground- disability rights activists, and experts on human rights. 3. media depictions and coverage of ed in a human rights approach to disability disability. that recognizes that people with disabilities eminar participants recommended the cre- have the same rights as all other people. It Sation of a global system to monitor the hu- The facts in each of these three key areas highlights the ways that disability discrimi- man rights situation of people with disabilities. tell us one piece of the story but, when The DRPI project was started to meet this need. nation increases vulnerability to abuse, combined, they provide a more complete poverty, and other unjust social conditions. picture of disability discrimination. • Sustainable: Through capacity-building By developing tools and meth- and making results widely available, DRPI creates sustainable ods to collect information Individual networks of individuals and organizations that will continue to in each of the three areas, Experiences call attention to disability rights issues in their communities be- DRPI is ensuring that a What people with disabili- yond the life of the project. holistic view of the human ties tell us about their life rights situation of people experiences with disabilities is Collaborations presented and that Holistic Monitoring measures taken RPI is working in Australia, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, by disability Systems Media Croatia, India, Kenya, Sweden and the United States to organizations, D What is in laws, How the media governments develop and test disability rights monitoring tools and meth- policies and programs portrays disability and and other ac- ods. We are partners with disabled peoples organizations, hu- and what happens in people with disabili- tors to improve man rights organizations, universities, government agencies legal cases. ties this situation are and the United Nations. fully informed.