May 29, 2024

Students Protect Disability Rights at the U.N.

Presenting research on human rights practices to the United Nations (U.N.) may seem like a lofty “mid-career” goal, but a group of UW student researchers are rising to the occasion this year—many of them inspired by an Honors seminar with Professor Megan McCloskey. 

DIDI, the Disability Inclusive Development Initiative, is a multi-disciplinary research and advocacy project that works to promote and support human rights of persons with disabilities. The project, led by Megan McCloskey and Stephen Meyers through the Jackson School of International Studies, has been invited to present findings to the United Nations. Towards the end of May 2024, a team of students and faculty will present their research on how countries implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for disabled refugees to the staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 

Megan McCloskey, a Ph.D. candidate in the UW’s School of Law and graduate student lecturer in the Law, Societies and Justice Department, is heading the initiative. Last Autumn, Professor McCloskey connected students from her “International Human Rights Advocacy” seminar with human rights advocates from around the world and to engage in research projects that support their work. Many current fellows (including four current Honors Huskies) first became involved in DIDI through this Interdisciplinary Honors course.

These students and faculty have teamed up to analyze how Germany, Uganda, Colombia, Bangladesh and the United States are enacting their respective asylum procedures, with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of their procedural responses. The students will look into any barriers persons with disabilities could face while pursuing asylum in the respective States and how the States sought to remove those barriers, if at all. These countries were selected because they were listed, amongst others, as the countries hosting the largest numbers of refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Although the United States is not a party under the CRPD, it will serve as a fifth comparator in this study. 

The Research and the Students

Zak Osborn, a rising sophomore majoring in Political Science, and Taylor Arredondo, a rising sophomore majoring in Political Science with a focus on international relations, have been working together to research Germany’s laws. Zak Osborn, says that their research has revealed a “stark reality — the situation for migrants and refugees with disabilities is far from ideal.” 

The students’ research will certainly shed light on the conditions of refugees with disabilities as it will serve as a background briefing of materials to support the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as they prepare to make a comment on Article 11 of the UNCRPD. This article refers to the obligations of States Parties to ensure the safety and protection of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, conflict and natural disasters. The students’ research will assess how effectively each selected country’s asylum procedures respect the rights enumerated in the CRPD and ensure accessibility and accommodations, among other human rights protections, for refugees and asylum-seekers with disabilities. This information will help inform the Committee as they make a comment that will advise states to a plan of action while also defining what a situation of risk is. 

Since many of the countries students are researching are abroad, most of their research has to be conducted independently and remotely. To gather information on these foreign countries, students have conducted extensive literature reviews, including primary legal research, and conducted interviews and consultations with key stakeholders and NGO leaders already working in the field. During the last week of May 2024, the students will present a report on their findings, including any promising practices that are already in place and future recommendations for next steps. The students will be attending the 17th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD at U.N. Headquarters in New York, which takes place June 11 to June 13, 2024. This event will offer the students a rare chance to see inside the work of human rights advocacy and how it is handled in diplomatic spaces.

The other two Honors students, Stuart Asplund and Alexandra Crooks-Moreno, are conducting research on Uganda and Colombia, respectively. Alexandra is a rising junior, pursuing dual BA’s in Public Health – Global Health and Law, Societies and Justice. Her work in DIDI allows for her to combine her two passions in medical innovation and promoting fair access for vulnerable groups. Her fluency in Spanish will come in handy as she researches the state of laws regarding refugees with disabilities in Colombia. Stuart Asplund is a rising junior majoring in Political Science. His background in international studies has helped him to conduct research into protection of disabled refugees and asylum-seekers in Uganda. 

The rights of people with disabilities are often ignored or not thought about when considering marginalized groups. However, the countries that they have selected to research, collectively held around 8 million people in refugee-like situations, of which an estimated 1.2 million are likely to be disabled. Many of these countries’ laws, as Zak describes them, “do not acknowledge this group, despite them being a significant portion of the overall migrant/refugee population.” Zak writes that he hopes their work “can shed light on the conditions this group faces and how countries can modify their laws to include and accommodate them.”

In the past, DIDI has also conducted research into Healthcare for Women with Disabilities and Inclusive Education in International Development. While this round of research with DIDI has concluded, Dr. McCloskey plans to continue recruiting students into advocacy work through her upcoming courses and Spring 2025 study abroad trip to Rome. DIDI is an extracurricular activity not bound by academic terms. The usual length for involvement, for any motivated undergraduate or graduate students, is two terms, typically beginning in January and ending in July. 

If you or a fellow UW student you know is interested in getting involved with DIDI, keep an eye out on applications to join in the next cycle or sign up for the Spring 2025 trip to Rome!