Framing Legal And Human Rights Strategies For Change: A Case Study Of Disability Rights In Asia

April 24 - 25, 2008
University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall, Room 138
12.50 General CLE Credits Approved

Presented By:

University of Washington School of Law in partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation
University of Washington Disability Studies Program
Asian Law Center at the University of Washington School of Law

Program Highlights

Hon. Richard Thornburgh, Of Counsel, K&L Gates; former Attorney General of the U.S.; former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations

The UN Convention on Disability Rights
How Do UN Conventions Impact Domestic Norms?
Citizenship and Integration Into Society
Disability Law After Conflict
International Disability Lawyering and Advocacy
Integrating People with Disabilities into Developing Economies
The Future of Disability Human Rights
Examining the Relationship and Tensions Between Disability Human Rights and Global Health

Who Should Attend

This symposium is appropriate for academics, scholars, policy makers, human rights and global health professionals, lawyers, advocates, foundations, and business leaders.

About the Symposium

The goal of the symposium is to explore the issue of disability rights in both a legal and human rights context within Asia. The conference will be the first academic symposium exploring this new field of disability human rights law, and its relationship to an already developing statutory, constitutional and administrative legal framework being created to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities around the world. The symposium will examine the intersections between human rights and civil rights laws in conjunction with the issues of economic development, poverty, global health, and post-conflict societies.

There is both a great need and interest from within the United States and around the world to better understand disability human rights developments, and to create strategies for implementing, enforcing and further developing rights protections on behalf of people with disabilities. An examination of the Asian experience with these issues provides an opportunity to explore their application in a broad and diverse setting of different historical and legal contexts, environments, and economies.

Presenters will examine disability from a variety of different perspectives, including legal, legislative, administrative and political. The focus of the discussion will include Asian countries who are signatories to the new UN Convention on Disability Rights, representing both developed and transitional economies, and different forms of political and legal systems.

Sponsors:

External Co-Sponsor: Disability Funders Network

University of Washington Co-Sponsors:

University of Washington, Bothell;

Center for Global Studies at the Jackson School of International Studies;
School of Social Work;
College of Education;
Evans School of Public Policy; Law, Societies and Justice;
Comparative History of Ideas Program;
Department of Global Health

Program Schedule

To Date, Subject to Change

Thursday, April 24, 2008

6.0 General CLE Credits Approved

8:30 a.m. Welcome
Gregory Hicks, Interim Dean, University of Washington School of Law
Phyllis Wise, Provost, University of Washington

8:45 a.m. Introductory Remarks; Why Disability Human Rights in Asia?

9:00 a.m. Keynote Address: Expanding Human Rights to People With Disabilities; Laying the Groundwork for a 21st Century Movement
Keynote speaker:
Yanghee Lee, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Law/Department of Child Psychology & Education, Sungkyun Kwan University; Chairperson, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (Korea)

9:30 a.m. The UN Convention on Disability Rights
Discussion of the UN Convention on Disability Rights and the process and political context within which it was developed.
Panelists:

Sarah Curran (Moderator), Associate Professor of International Studies and Public Affairs, Director, Center for Global Studies, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
Akiko Ito, Chief of the UN Programme on Disability for the Division of Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Tara J. Melish, JD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, University of Georgia School of Law

10:30 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. How Do UN Conventions Impact Domestic Norms?
An examination of the current state of knowledge about prospects for changing domestic law and behavioral norms through implementation of the UN Disability Convention.
Panelists:

Michael McCann, (Moderator), JD, Chair, Department of Law, Societies, and Justice, University of Washington
Michael Stein, JD, Visiting Scholar, Harvard Law School; Cabell Research Professor of Law, William and Mary Law School
Sally Engle Merry, PhD, Professor of Anthropology and Law and Society, New York University School of Law and Department of Anthropology
Rangita de Silva de Alwis, LLM, SJD, Senior Advisor on International Programs at the Wellesley Center for Women (Sri Lanka)

12:00 p.m. Box Lunch, provided with registration, Student Poster Session

1:30 p.m. Keynote Address: Globalizing a Response to Disability Discrimination
Keynote speaker:
Hon. Richard Thornburgh, Of Counsel, K & L Gates; former Attorney General of the United States; former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations

2:00 p.m. Citizenship and Integration Into Society
A discussion regarding the barriers faced by disabled persons to accessible education, employment, health care, transportation, public accommodations, government services, housing, participation in voting and political processes, and limitations in their rights to marry or to have and maintain families.
Panelists:

Sharan Brown (Moderator), JD, EdD, Research Associate Professor, College of Education, Disabilities Study Program, Center on Human Development & Disability, University of Washington
Michael Perlin, JD, Professor of Law, Director, Mental Disability Law Reform Project, Justice Action Center, New York Law School
Yanghee Lee, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Law, Dept. of Child Psychology & Education, Sungkyun Kwan University; Chairperson, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (Korea)
Venus Llagan, former Chairperson of Disabled Persons International (Philippines)

3:15 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. Disability Law After Conflict
The lack of resources in post conflict regions poses unique legal and rights challenges to a society following the time of conflict. However, due to political, cultural, and social factors, there may also be unique legal and rights opportunities for people with disabilities in a post conflict society.
Panelists:

Charles D. Siegal (Moderator), JD, Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP; Director of Studies, American Branch of the International Law Association
John Lancaster, JD, Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living; former Vice President, the Vietnam Enterprise Group, Vietnam; former Director of the Office of Disability Technical Assistance, Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped
Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, LLM, PhD, Chair of Indonesia's Human Rights Commission; Professor of Law and Director, Center for the Study of Human Rights at the University of Indonesia (Indonesia)

4:45 p.m. Adjourn

Friday, April 25, 2008

6.50 General CLE Credits Approved

9:00 a.m. Keynote Address: Why the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities Matters to Individual Nations
Keynote speaker:
Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, LLM, PhD, Chair of Indonesia's Human Rights Commission; Professor of Law and Director, Center for the Study of Human Rights at the University of Indonesia (Indonesia)

9:30 a.m. International Disability Lawyering and Advocacy
An assessment of the possible impact of public interest lawyering on the protection and enforcement of the legal and civil rights of individuals living with disability, addressing the challenges particular to Asia and the opportunities presented by the UN Convention.
Panelists:

Michele Storms (Moderator), JD, Executive Director, Gates Public Service Law Scholarship Program, University of Washington School of Law
Titi Liu, JD, Garvey Schubert Barer Visiting Professor of Asian Law, University of Washington School of Law
Hyung-Kuk Youm, Gong-gam (Korean Public Interest Lawyering Group), Seoul, Korea
Indira Jaising, Director of the Women's Rights Project, Lawyer's Collective (India)

10:45 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m. Integrating People with Disabilities into Developing Economies
An exploration of the relationship between disability and poverty in developing Asian countries, and an examination of legal mechanisms for expanding economic opportunity for disabled people in order to achieve greater self-sufficiency.
Panelists:

Joel Ngugi (Moderator), LLM, SJD, Associate Professor of Law, University of Washington School of Law
Judy Heumann, Director of the Department on Disability Services, District of Columbia; Former Advisor on Disability and Development, The World Bank
Saowalak Thongkuay, Regional Development Officer (RDO), Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific Region (Thailand)
Masayuki Kobayashi, Institute of Developing Economies (Japan)

12:00 p.m. Box Lunch, provided with registration

1:00 p.m. UW Student Panel on Disability Human Rights

1:30 p.m. The Future of Disability Human Rights, The Funder Community's Perspective On an Implementation Strategy
Leading foundations and funders in the area of human rights will discuss their perspectives on disability human rights priorities, and the responsibilities and challenges of implementing the UN Convention.
Panelists:

Catherine Hyde Townsend (Moderator), Associate Philanthropic Advisor, Wellspring Advisors, LLC
Emily Martinez, Director, Human Rights and Governance Grants Program, Open Society Institute
Maria Veronica Reina, Executive Director, Global Partnership on Disability Development and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
Lara Iglitzin, Executive Director, The Henry M. Jackson Foundation

2:45 p.m. Break

3:00 p.m. Examining the Relationship and Tensions Between Disability Human Rights And Global Health
A discussion exploring global issues facing people with disabilities related to global health and human rights, including the delivery of healthcare, deinstitutionalization, the HIV/AIDs crisis, and poverty.
Panelists:

Beth Rivin (Moderator), MPH, MD, Research Associate Professor of Law; Director, Global Health & Justice Project, UW School of Law
Ani Satz, JD, PhD, Emory Law School, Rollins School of Public Health
Len Rubenstein, JD, President, Physicians for Human Rights
Wan Yanhai, Director, Aizhixing Institute of Health Education, the foremost Beijing-based AIDS-awareness group (China)
Eric Rosenthal, JD, Executive Director, Mental Disability Rights International; Vice President, US International Council on Disabilities

4:15 p.m. Closing Observations Samuel Bagenstos, JD, Professor of Law, Washington University Law School

4:45 p.m. Symposium Closing Remarks

Paul Steven Miller, Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law; Director of the UW Disability Studies Program
Veronica Taylor, Dan Fenno Henderson Professorship in East Asian Legal Studies; Director, UW Asian Law Center

5:00 p.m. Adjourn

Saturday, April 26, 2008

9:00 a.m. OPTIONAL Advocacy Meeting to discuss strategies to persuade national governments to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Program and Registration Information

Pre-registration is required.

Please complete and return the Registration Form by April 10, 2008.

There is no registration fee for those attending the conference who do not wish to purchase course materials or who do not wish to earn CLE credit.

Box lunches will be provided at no cost to all registered attendees.

Course materials may be purchased for $200 per day ,required for CLE credit. Payment for course materials is required in advance.

Refunds/Cancellations

Refunds are available up to five business days prior to the program. In lieu of refund we encourage participants to send a substitute. Please notify UW CLE of any requests for refunds or substitutions. All cancellations are subject to a $30 handling charge.

Credits

12.50 General CLE credits are approved. For more information regarding CLE credits in other states, contact UW CLE at 206-543-0059.

Accommodations for Disabilities

To request a disability accommodation, please contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206-543-6450 (voice); 206-543-6452 (TTY); 206-685-7264 (fax); or dso@u.washington.edu (email).

FOUR WAYS TO REGISTER

MAIL REGISTRATION FORM AND PAYMENT (FOR CLE CREDIT OR COURSE MATERIALS) TO:
University of Washington School of Law
CLE Registration,
Box 353020
Seattle, WA 98195-3020
TO REGISTER BY FAX: 206-685-3929
TO REGISTER ONLINE: www.uwcle.org
TO REGISTER BY PHONE, CALL: 800-CLE-UNIV OR 206-543-0059

Questions? Email: uwcle@u.washington.edu

REGISTRATION FORM

Framing Legal and Human Rights Strategies for Change: A Case Study of Disability Rights in Asia (08D24)
April 24 - 25, 2008
University of Washington School of Law
Seattle, Washington

NAME: Mr./Ms.
______________________________________
BAR NUMBER: __________________________
FIRM/ORGANIZATION: ______________________________
ADDRESS: ________________________________________
CITY:__________________________ STATE: ZIP:
COUNTRY: ___________________________________
TELEPHONE: _________________________ FAX: ____________________
EMAIL:_________________________________________

Pre-registration is required. Please complete and return this form by April 10, 2008.

There is no registration fee for those attending the conference who do not wish to purchase course materials or who do not wish to earn CLE credit.

Box lunches will be provided at no cost to all registered attendees.

Course materials may be purchased for $200 per day, required for CLE credit. Payment for course materials is required in advance.

I Will Attend:
(___) Both days of the Symposium, April 24 and 25, 2008
(___) Thursday, April 24, 2008 only
(___) Friday, April 25, 2008 only

My menu selection for the box lunch on Thursday, April 24, 2008 is:
(___) Chicken
(___) Turkey
(___) Beef
(___) Vegetarian

My menu selection for the box lunch on Friday, April 25, 2008 is: (___) Chicken
(___) Turkey
(___) Beef
(___) Vegetarian

I would like to register for CLE credit for:
(___) Both days of the Symposium, April 24 & 25, 2008 $400
(___) Thursday, April 24, 2008 only $200
(___) Friday, April 25, 2008 only $200

Total fees enclosed: (U.S. funds) $_________
U.S. FUNDS ONLY
Method of payment:

(___) Check enclosed payable to Washington Law School Foundation
(___) VISA
(___) Mastercard

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