The Disability Rights Scholarship Program will offer around 20 awards to individuals from Nepal and select countries in Africa and Latin America for LLM study beginning in fall 2012. The program aims to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, and through legal channels, help overcome the effect of exclusionary practices, so that persons with disabilities achieve a state of full and effective participation and inclusion in society.
The program intends to offer disability rights advocates and lawyers with the necessary expertise to develop new legislation, impact litigation, jurisprudence and scholarship, thereby taking advantage of the innovations and opportunities offered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD, which entered into power in May 2008, presents a paradigm shift in the field of disability rights and offers a framework for developing innovative legal arguments.
Fellows will gather together at selected institutions which demonstrate cutting edge capacity for legal education in disability rights and are also interested in forming a consortium of schools dedicated to developing this field and improving their own capacity with an international perspective.
The Program does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.
The competition is merit based and opens to those meeting the following criteria:
- Citizen and legal resident of an eligible country at the time of application (Nepal; Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe; Argentina, Mexico, Peru)
- Work experience in legal profession or advocacy focusing on human/disability rights
- Excellent academic record with a bachelor’s degree in law. (in exceptional circumstances, those without a law degree but with substantial experience in the field may be considered.)
- Demonstrated leadership in field of disability rights
- Proficient in spoken and written English or French
- Able to participate in an intensive academic writing program in summer 2012
- Able to begin the graduate program in august or September 2012
- Able to receive and maintain visa or study permit required by host country
- Clear commitment to return to home country to aid ongoing disability rights work
Deadline: 15 March, 2012
For further information, visit the link.
