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CDS Director Prof Anna Lawson at Maastricht University UN CRPD Event

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On left, Anna Lawson, on right, Lisa Waddington.
Anna Lawson and Lisa Waddington at the Maastricht University event

Last week our Director, Anna Lawson, spoke at Maastricht University at an event about the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Practice, co-organised by Dr. Andrea Broderick of Maastricht University.

Those speaking at the event provided a co-ordinated series of accounts regarding how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is being used and interpreted in domestic courts in a variety of jurisdictions. The conference drew upon the emerging field of comparative international law and provided a critical analysis of the factors which underpin the extent and nature of the use of the CRPD by domestic courts.

Anna and her colleague Professor Lisa Waddington drew upon their book, published earlier this year: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Practice: A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Courts, OUP, 2018. This book:

  • Provides the reader with rich sources of data and analysis contained in jurisdiction specific chapters
  • Presents the reader with essential comparative studies to illustrate developing patterns in this rapidly growing area of law
  • Places the law in its social and political context

This important event was an opportunity for legal practitioners (lawyers, judges and members of equality authorities which have a quasi-judicial role) to engage in deeper analysis and discussion regarding the way in which the CRPD is being used by courts and tribunals, internationally.