Author: Hezzy Smith

Audience watching seminar on projection screen

Startups and Emerging Technologies As Drivers of Disability Human Rights?

Looking ahead to the CRPD’s third decade

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A woman laughs and holds hands with another woman in a wheelchair on a shaded sidewalk.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ “Right to Care”

New directions for disability advocacy and organizing in the Americas?

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Alex Green Wins National Book Critics Circle Award

His biography of Dr. Walter E. Fernald tells a tale of innovation, discrimination, and recantation that resonates today.

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Smiling older white-skinned woman with graying hair holding the hand and stroking the cheek of her white-skinned, red-haired and smiling daughter wearing headphones and brightly patterned clothes while seated in power wheelchair in city park on sunny day

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ “Right to Care”

New directions for disability advocacy and organizing in the Americas?

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Professor William P. Alford

Professor William Alford Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

American Association of Law Schools recognizes HPOD Chair

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Self-Advocacy Is about Belonging

Moving beyond “living in” the community

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Persons with Disabilities’ Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

Reflections on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (in Spanish and in English)

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Older Persons’ Human Rights

Forging a path towards new international legal protections

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Bright red sign posted in desolate area with skull and cross bones symbol and warning: "Danger Mines"

The Hidden Disability Rights Crisis in Post-Coup Myanmar

UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews denounces widespread oppression

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Aging, Urbanization, and the Right to Food

The final event in UNITAR’s yearlong roundtable series ‘Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing’

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Decaying hallway in abandoned hospital in Pennslyvania

A Resurgence of Disability Institutions?

Learning from the Nation’s troubled past to avoid future harms

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African-American man with physical disability sitting on his bed alone suffering from loneliness

The Human Toll of Medicaid Cuts

Threats to persons with disabilities’ right to independent living in the community

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Friend wearing beanie consoles young women using wheelchair in a cafeteria

Major Changes to U.S. Disability Law and Policy Continue

Anticipating the likely consequences for the disability community of the largest-ever cuts to Medicaid

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Open House

HPOD’s annual community gathering to learn about upcoming events and opportunities

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Right to Science and Access to Technology for Older Persons

The third event in UNITAR’s yearlong roundtable series ‘Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing’

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Photo of William Alford and Michael Stein

Promoting the Dignity of Persons with Disabilities throughout the World

HPOD’s Founders Reflect on over 20 Years of Scholarship and Advocacy

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Access to Health Systems for Older Persons in Conflict Areas

The second event in UNITAR’s virtual roundtable series ‘Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing’

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Stage and frozen floor of abandoned theater at the Belchertown State School, Belchertown Massachusetts

Accountability for Mass Institutionalization of Persons with Disabilities

Massachusetts Special Commission on State Institutions demands apology from Governor, among other critical reforms

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Green trees set in an arid desert form the shape of the universal wheelchair icon

From Awareness to Action

Ensuring climate and crisis response that works for all

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Young man with Down syndrome and glasses stares intently at a planner while seated at desk in brightly lit room

What to Know and Do about Ongoing Changes to U.S. Disability Law and Policy

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Making Persons with Intellectual Disabilities’ Voices Heard before United Nations Treaty Bodies

Opportunities to enhance self-advocates’ role in shadow reporting

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The Right to Work for Older Migrants, Refugees, and Stateless Persons

First of five events in UNITAR’s virtual roundtable series ‘Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing’

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Older person's hands folded on wooden table

Ensuring Older Persons’ Human Rights

UN Human Rights Council sets the stage for expanding the international human rights legal framework

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Two people wearing winter coats and beanie hats hug while outside in a forest

Mental Health and Climate Change

When a global crisis and planetary emergency collide

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Bespectacled older white-skinned woman with pony tail stands at a lectern and speaks into a microphone

Anne Fracht Receives Career Achievement Award

In recognition of her decades-long advocacy and leadership on behalf of persons with intellectual disabilities

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Alex Green

Tracing the Origins of Mass Institutionalization of Persons with Disabilities in North America

Book talk with HPOD Fellow Alex Green

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Brightly lit, vaulted circular ceiling of United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City, with UN logos in gold suspended prominently on walls

Wading into the Mainstream

Building disability rights bridges across institutional silos to strengthen the global sustaining peace agenda

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Disability Rights Advocacy and Legalism in South Korea and Japan

Book talk with Professor Celeste Arrington

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Lebanese-American Muslim woman wearing a hijab and holding a white cane poses in front of a U.S. flag

Disability Inclusion’s Role in U.S. Foreign Policy

In conversation with U.S. Department of State Special Advisor Sara Minkara

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Persons with and without disabilities stand at the front of a meeting room in front of a slide projection and speak to audience seated at U-shaped tables

Climate Change Is a Disability Issue

How to advance disability-inclusive climate practices, from classroom engagement to inclusive policy

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Light-skinned person in power wheelchair wearing navy blue T-shirt with slogan in red and white block print "Feel the power of the disability vote"

Disability Rights and Access to the Ballot

Safeguarding all persons with disabilities’ full and effective political participation

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Three bombs fall against a red background towards human hands stitching a cloth with an olive branch-bearing dove with the word "peace" on it against a blue background

Disability as a Missing Dimension in Disarmament Diplomacy

Side event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security)

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Persons with Disabilities and the Slave Trade

Professors Michael Stein and Janet Lord discuss opportunities for the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to address critical gaps

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Poll worker bends over to assist an elderly blind man with walking stick to dip his finger in ink at an outdoor polling place in Sudan

Voting and Disability Rights

Safeguarding persons with disabilities’ right to full and effective political participation

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Panelists with and without wheelchairs seated on a dais in front of a screen projection with two sign language interpreters in a room with a barrel vaulted ceiling of medieval brick

Describing Disability Climate Justice at the G7 Ministerial Meeting

Professor Michael Stein urges G7 leaders to take disability-inclusive climate action

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disabled protestors carrying signs protesting discriminatory immigration policies along an urban sidewalk

Immigrants with Disabilities

Enabling international legal protections

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Curved, red-brick building facade of Harvard Law School's Hauser Hall against a clear-blue sky

Open House

HPOD’s annual community gathering to connect and preview opportunities to advance disability rights

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Announcing HPOD’s 2024-25 Annual Fellows and Visiting Scholar

Projects will tackle climate justice, institutionalization, self-advocacy, legal capacity, and violence against women

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A middle-aged blind woman standing next to a sign language interpreter on a raised dais at a lectern featuring the Dominican Republic's logo speaks into a microphone

Education for All

The Dominican Republic’s pioneering inclusive education policy

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People with Disabilities Taking Action on Climate Change

HPOD’s new Easy Read primer empowers disability climate activists

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Two light-skinned bearded men with glasses, one indigenous man with long dark hair and beard, a light-skinned woman with glasses, and a light-skinned man with glasses and wheelchair pose at the front of a classroom against a black chalkboard.

Visibilizing Intellectual Disability in the Classroom

How HPOD is working to create opportunities for Harvard University students to learn from persons with intellectual disabilities

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Inclusive Accountability

The current state of international criminal law and disability

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A white man wearing blazer and tie a translation earpiece seated at a desk at the UN General Assembly hall smiles at the camera while supporters seated nearby applaud.

In Memory of Sir Robert Martin

How self-advocates can contribute to international human rights governance

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Prison Bars

Ending the Mass Incarceration of Persons of Color with Disabilities

Toward intersectional solutions to transform policing

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View of Earth from space, with half the planet under nightfall, half in daytime

Disability-Inclusive Climate Action, Research and Development

Global Disability Climate Justice Working Group urges researchers and policymakers to meet the moment

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Advancing Disability Climate Justice in the Courts

Assessing strategies for including persons with disabilities through litigation around the world

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U.S. Government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment Highlights Outsize Climate Risks for Persons with Disabilities

Learn more at the upcoming NCA5 Public Engagement Webinar on Human Health & COVID-19

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Towards Effective Human Rights Protections for Older Persons

Building on UNITAR’s Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing 2023 roundtables

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Promoting Disability-Inclusive Climate Action through Litigation

HPOD and allies urge Inter-American Court on Human Rights to take notice of evolving international standards

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Microscopic images of spiky COVID viruses' surfaces

Experiences of Group Home Residents with Intellectual Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Self-advocate researchers shine a light on under-explored story

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Professor Michael Ashley Stein Honored by US International Council on Disability

The Dole-Harkin Award recognizes Professor Stein’s unique contributions to international disability rights

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Strengthening International Humanitarian Legal Protections for Marginalized Groups

Accounting for children, women, and persons with disabilities

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Court House

Reckoning with the History of State Institutions for People with Disabilities

At HPOD panel, advocates, scholars, and institution survivors discuss efforts to uncover an untold story

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Event poster for 4th online roundtable in UNITAR's 5-part mainstreaming knowledge on ageing series depicting white-haired older woman speaking to younger caregiver

Access to Health and Social Care Services

UNITAR’s fourth 2023 Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing roundtable event

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Ensuring Disability Inclusion in the Global Climate Action Agenda

Call to action ahead of the 28th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

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Greco-Roman, white marble facade of US Supreme Court on clear day.

Private Citizens’ Role in Enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act

HPOD’s Professor Stein previews oral arguments in Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer before the U.S. Supreme Court

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empty lecture hall with stadium-style seating

Open House

HPOD’s annual community gathering to connect and preview opportunities to advance disability rights

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open book laid on table

Announcing HPOD’s 2023-24 Annual Fellows

Projects will tackle intersections with race, criminal law, institutionalization, health care, and global peace and security

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white-haired older man with apron at grocery store cash register receives a green melon from a gray-haired older woman

Access to Labor Markets for Older Persons

UNITAR’s second 2023 Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing roundtable event

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Smiling dark-skinned graduate in black gown in wheelchair outside on a sunny day with long, dark braided hair with highlights

Youth with Disabilities in Action

Spreading the word about alternatives to guardianship

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Cover page of UNITAR's mainstreaming knowledge on ageing roundtable series brochure 2023 depicting groups of diverse older persons framed inside a globe

Mainstreaming Knowledge on Ageing

UNITAR’s 2023 roundtable series to promote the rights of older persons

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Lighthouse standing on the edge of a stormy sea

Movement and Cohesion in the Disability, Peace, and Security Agenda

Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Persons with Disabilities side event

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Michael Stein photo

Professor Michael Ashley Stein Honored by Harvard University

Receives inaugural Excellence in Accessibility and Inclusion Faculty Award

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Alex Green

HPOD Fellow Alex Green Receives Marie Feltin Award

Boston Center for Independent Living’s Annual Honor for Excellence in Advocacy and Service

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Anne Fracht

Anne Fracht Appointed to Special Commission on State Institutions

Person with disability-led body will reckon with Massachusetts’ legacy of institutionalization

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Close up on two dark-skinned persons' heads lying on a pillow while one person's hand gently cradles the other's head

Disability & Sexual Violence

Women with disabilities global struggle for their right to intimacy

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Lunchtime Conversation with Andrew Leon Hanna

on “25 Million Sparks: The Untold Story of Refugee Entrepreneurs”

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Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health

Strategies for avoiding potential data harms

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Two middle-aged white-skinned persons in wheelchairs wearing glasses and in formal attire, one male one female, smile broadly while holding hands.

Honoring Judy Heumann

Founding mother of the U.S. disability rights movement

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Woman records location of glaciers from kayak

Towards Disability-Inclusive Climate Resilience

What researchers can do to close the disability climate change equity gap

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War Crime and No Punishment?

Gaps in International Humanitarian Legal Protections for Persons with Disabilities

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Right to Education for Students with Disabilities

The Limits of Litigation

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Combating Isolation: The Idea of a Right to Belong

What Kim Samuel’s New Book “On Belonging” Means for Persons with Disabilities and Older Persons

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two silhouetted handles cradle a planet that is on fire

Disability and Climate Change

Call for Digital Symposium Submissions

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Silhouetted profiles of coronaviruses floating in the air

COVID-19 Experiences of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Group Homes

Self-Advocate Researchers’ Reflections

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Brief Cover Image

Politics and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

Challenges and Good Practices from Around the World in Easy Read Format

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get out the vote

The Right to Be Involved in Politics

What Self-Advocates Should Know

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Self-Determination & Voting

Self-Advocates, Get Out There and Make Your Voices Heard!

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Courtroom with empty chairs and bright blue carpet with EU flag

Investigating Claims of Ill-Treatment by Persons with Disabilities

The European Court of Human Rights Delivers Partial Victory to Roma Girl with Intellectual Disability

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Flood-damaged and sandbag-reinforced shoreline of Bangladeshi village surrounded by muddy water

Disability Climate Justice

Towards Evidence-Based Research on Disability and Climate Change

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Disability-Inclusive Climate Action

Lessons from the Historic 2022 Flooding in Bangladesh

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Brightly colored group of skydivers join hands midair amid the clouds

Supported Decision-Making Is about Us

Why self-advocates need to lead supported decision-making efforts in Massachusetts and beyond

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Drawing of the planet Earth at the center of a coronavirus cell.

Self-Advocate Perspectives on COVID-19 Research

What self-advocates have to say about research on COVID-19 and persons with intellectual disabilities

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Black magnifying glass hovering over the word research

Self-Advocates in Research

What “nothing about us without us” means for the research community

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profile of dark-skinned man with glasses in suit with purple tie

Rights of Children with Disabilities in Africa

Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

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multicolored arrows snake around a brick wall

Transfer of Rights under the IDEA

What the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act says and the importance of alternatives to guardianship for youth with disabilities

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planet Earth graphic where half of the globe has been burnt to bits

Disability, Human Rights, and Climate Justice

The urgent need for disability-inclusive climate action

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book cover with a stained glass window-style collage of faceless individuals in diverse clothes

Mental Health, Legal Capacity, and Human Rights

Harvard Law School Library Book Talk with Professors Vikram Patel and Michael Ashley Stein

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male trainer lectures while standing in middle of circle of training participants seated on floor

Mobilizing DPOs in Bangladesh

How a 2013 law has created advocacy avenues for disabled people’s organizations

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Gavel and open law textbook on desk

Global Disability Cause Lawyering

Perspectives from Leading Lawyers in the Movement

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single leg amputee sits on hospital bed

Disability and Armed Conflict in Colombia

The need for inclusive disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes

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Fall 2021 Semester in Review

HPOD’s Events, Advocacy, Capacity-Building, and Research Activities

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journal cover

Disability Rights and Crimes Against Humanity

The need to prosecute egregious and systemic human rights violations against persons with disabilities

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Photograph of two diverse landscapes separated by an unpaved road: on the left, there is dark, arid terrain with a lone leafless tree, and on the right, a verdant field of lush grass dotted by red flowers.

Respecting Autonomy in Health Care, Research, and All Areas of Life

What persons with disabilities want and how to make it happen

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Broadening Our Understanding of Disability Rights

From legal compliance to respecting dignity

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Screen capture of the partial first page of The Lancet Psychiatry comment "Mental health, human rights, and legal capacity".

Mental Health, Human Rights, and Legal Capacity

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Image of cover of the African Disability Rights Yearbook journal, which shows an outline of the continent of Africa filled with artistically jumbled white accessibility icons against a gray background.

Youth with Disabilities in Zimbabwe

Barriers to sexual and reproductive health

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Two female students wearing surgical masks, whit lab coats, and safety goggles and holding long tubes stand in front of a lab bench while receiving instruction from a similarly clothed male instructor.

Disability and Diversity in Medical Education

The need to prevent ableism and discrimination in medical school admissions

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Close-up of the bumps on a bronze Braille printing plate.

Expanding Accessibility across Sectors

The overlapping roles of governments, businesses, and universities

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Screen grab of Elharrar's original tweet in Hebrew with an English Google translation below.

COP26 Climate Change Summit Inaccessible to Wheelchair Users

What it says about the intersection of disability rights and climate change

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