Call for Chapters: Routledge Handbook on Children's Rights and Disability

**Announcement**

Call for Chapters for Proposed Routledge Handbook on Children’s Rights and Disability

Joint Director of the Centre for Disability Studies (University of Leeds), Dr Angharad Beckett and Dr Anne-Marie Callus (Senior Lecturer, Department of Disability Studies, University of Malta) are currently working on a proposal for a Routledge Handbook on Children’s Rights and Disability.

This handbook will survey the topic of disabled children’s rights taking into account historical perspectives, core issues and topics new debates, critical standpoints and global perspectives. The Handbook will thus provide a thorough overview of both the fundamental and new directions of knowledge on this topic. It will be aimed primarily at researchers, professionals in relevant fields, graduate students and upper-level undergraduates.

The Handbook will be framed according to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) and authors are invited to situate their contributions in relation to both. Furthermore, contributions to the Handbook will be required to engage with the CRPD (Preamble, Paragraph [e]) understanding of disability as resulting

from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others

This interpretation of disability allows for consideration of both impairment and disabling barriers. Submissions will be considered that adopt any ‘social’ model/approach to disability that is in keeping/sympathy with the CRPD understanding.

Adherence to ‘stricter’ interpretations of the Social Model of Disability is not required, but will be welcomed alongside alternative approaches. Submissions that consider disability via an individualised, medicalised lens or according to a ‘deficit’ perspective will not be accepted.

Authors are invited to propose chapters that consider disabled children’s rights from various disciplinary perspectives, including disability studies, sociology of childhood, children’s geographies, legal studies, health sciences (critical perspectives on the latter), science and technology studies, broader humanities and cultural studies and/or a blend of such approaches. We particularly welcome contributions from researchers whose research practices position disabled children at the centre of projects, working with disabled young people, ensuring that their views are sought, understood and conveyed to a wider audience.

The Handbook will include different types of chapter:

• Argumentative pieces that develop or debate relevant ethical, philosophical or theoretical concepts or positions;
• Systematic reviews that bring together relevant research literature on a specific topic;
• Discussions of a key topic to include the presentation of research carried out by the author/s. Such research should be presented as a case-study that sheds light on the broader topic under consideration. (In the case of the latter, preference will be given to contributions that draw from multiple studies carried out by the same author/s. In any case, such chapters should not take the form of the presentation of empirical research in the style usually adopted in journal articles. The research should instead be employed only to shed light on the broader topic).

Chapters should also, as far as is possible, include references to literature and research from different parts of the world and should highlight how the topic under consideration affects disabled children in different countries.

Authors are invited to propose chapters on any of the following issues:

• Methodologies for assessing the extent to which State Parties/Governments are upholding the rights of disabled children;
• Cross-national comparisons of the status of rights for disabled children in different jurisdictions, drawing out the wider, regional or global implications of such comparisons;
• Legal and policy perspectives on the enforcement of disabled children's human rights;
• Considerations of the necessary conditions for the achievements of disabled children's human rights;
• Explorations of the need for, or strategies for raising awareness amongst all relevant stakeholders, including disabled children, of their rights;
• Representations of disabled children as 'rights-holders' and/or critiques of alternative, non-progressive representations (e.g. disabled children as objects of pity, 'deficient' or in need of 'normalization')

Furthermore, chapters should deal with one or more the following disabled children's right to:

• Life and flourishing;
• Access all relevant aspects of society, public facilities and services;
• Family life (and to be cared for properly if they cannot live with their family and/or are adopted);
• Friends & joining groups;
• Good quality healthcare, including necessary rehabilitation;
• A decent standard of living: alleviation of poverty, good housing, food, clothing;
• Education;
• Preparation for adulthood, including where possible entering the world of work;
• Speak their own language (including sign language and augmentative and alternative means of communication);
• Cultural life;
• Relax: to have access to and inclusion in recreation, leisure, sport and play;
• Be protected from danger, abuse, torture, cruel punishment and to get help if experiencing any of these;
• Be protected and have needs met if a crisis/emergency situation; if a refugee, to have the same rights afforded as children in the host society;
• Access justice, including if accused of breaking the law;
• Have their opinions listened to in matters relating to their lives and for their views and preferences to be taken seriously;
• Make choices about their lives;
• Take part in public and political life;
• Privacy.

It is envisaged that the Handbook will contain 35-40 chapters that, in their totality, deal with the topics listed above. When considering which contributions to accept, account will be taken of the need to achieve a balance between ensuring that these topics are adequately represented, the inclusion of authors from different parts of the globe, addressing issues encountered by children with different impairments and the concerns of children of different ages. With regards to the latter, in line with legal definitions, childhood is taken to cover the ages of 0-18. This broad age range is split as follows: 0-1: infancy; 2-9: childhood; 10-13: early adolescence; 14-18: middle to late adolescence.

It is understood that there may be chapters that focus on specific impairment or age groups, where such a focus is warranted and justified.

Chapters will be a maximum of 8000 words each, including references. Suggested key words for the index should also be listed. There will be no footnotes, but endnotes can be accommodated. There will be minimal use of illustrations and no inclusion of copyrighted material.

If you are interested in contributing to this Handbook, please send a 300-word abstract together with a 100-word bio-note for each author/s. If the abstract is accepted (with revisions where necessary), it will be included in the proposal submitted to Routledge. If Routledge accept the proposal for the Handbook, there will be an 18 month time-frame in which authors must submit their draft chapter, for the review of the chapter and for any necessary changes to be made. It should be noted that acceptance of the abstract at the proposal stage does not mean an automatic acceptance of the chapter that is eventually submitted, even after the review process.

The abstract and bio-note should be sent in a joint email to both A.E.Beckett@leeds.ac.uk and anne-marie.callus@um.edu.mt by 14 October 2019.