New Delhi, 21 June 2005
'Systemic Improvements for better Protection of Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities' and 'Human Rights Education and Disability' are issues that will be deliberated on at a day long National Conference on Disability being organized by the National Human Rights Commission in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Open University and the Canadian Human Rights Commission in New Delhi on 23 June 2005.
Vice Chancellors of important Universities, representative of UGC, NCERT etc. and apex institutions in the field of disability, senior officials of concerned Ministries in the Government of India, the Planning Commission, State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities, Secretary in charge of the Department of Welfare from all the States/UT, NGOs working in the field of disability and State Human Rights Commissions will be attending the Conference.
Dr. Justice A.S. Anand, Chairperson, NHRC will inaugurate the Conference. This Conference marks the culmination of a project jointly undertaken in 2003 by NHRC, CHRC and IGNOU. The overarching aim of NHRC-CHRC-IGNOU Linkage Project was to increase the capabilities and strengths of both the NHRC & CHRC and their associated partners, to cooperatively address major human rights issues in relation to persons with disabilities. To realize this encompassing objective, a programme to improve technical capabilities and awareness of NHRC staff, legal practitioners, and disability and human rights advocates was prioritized.
A key component of the Project was the 'Training Of Trainers Programme', which has prepared a small cadre of human rights trainers in disability, capable of serving formal and non-formal programmes of legal studies. The Programme was offered in four phases during 2004-2005. Phase I included face-to-face training in a participatory mode. In Phase II the participants undertook individual studies using desk search and field investigations. Phase III included a seminar in which participants shared findings of their studies. In Phase IV, the participants facilitated five training workshops or Outreach Training Programmes for a group of law faculties, disability rights and human rights advocates.
Thus Outreach Training Programmes (covering the entire country) were conducted at NUJS in Kolkata from 19 - 21 January 2005, National Law Institute University, Bhopal from 1-3 February 2005, Cochin University of Science and Technology in Ernakulam, Kerala from 10 - 12 February 2005, ILS College, Pune on 19-21 February 2005 and University of Punjab on 27 - 27 February 2005.
Dr. Justice A.S. Anand will also release a Manual on 'Human Rights, Disability and Law'. This manual explores a variety of general and disability specific instruments, such as core international human rights treaties, soft law instruments - declarations, proclamations and rules - in order to establish their relevance for persons with disabilities. The Constitution of India and relevant statutes have also been analyzed. A conscious effort has also been made to document examples of positive jurisprudence, disability specific as well as general, to encourage their wide utilization by legal practitioners and activists.
This manual can serve as reference material for universities and law schools to design curricula for undergraduate and graduate study programmes on Disability Law, and to incorporate disability perspective into courses on the Constitutional, Family, Criminal¸ Information Technology and Labour Laws. It will prove to be an effective advocacy tool for organizations of disabled persons and NGOs working in the area of disability and human rights. It is also intended to be a practical guide for legal practitioners and general administrators.

The basic framework of this manual consists of six parts -
PartA- Conceptual Foundations, covering Definitions and Causes of Disability,
Approaches to Disability, and the Indian Scenario.
Part B- International Human Rights Law and Its Relation to National Law, providing an overview of all Human Rights Instruments and Procedures established under them including a section on International Law in Relation to Domestic Law.
Part C- Application of Social and Cultural Rights to the Disability Context, covering International and Domestic Standards, examples of jurisprudence including detailed discussion on specific rights.
Part D- Application of Economic Rights to the Disability Context, covering International and Domestic Standards, examples of jurisprudence including detailed discussion on specific rights.
Part E- Application of Civil and Political Rights to the Disability Context, covering International and Domestic Standards, examples of jurisprudence including detailed discussion on specific rights.
Part F- Using International Human Rights Procedures to Advance the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities, covering reporting procedures, complaints procedures, inquiry procedures, thematic procedures, charter based procedures, regional procedures, and monitoring and enforcement mechanisms under domestic disability laws and redressal procedures.

At the end of Part F, seven national and international legal instruments directly related to disability have been annexed for ease of reference.
Thus the CHRC-NHRC-IGNOU Linkage Project can be described as one of the first organized initiatives that have laid the foundation for creating a new disability sensitive generation of legal practitioners.
The Commission would communicate the recommendations of the National Conference to the appropriate governments for necessary action and follow-up.

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