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Decaying hallway in abandoned hospital in Pennslyvania

A Resurgence of Disability Institutions?

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


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

Oct 08, 2025   Author: Sahar Khan   Events   Making Rights Real   Policy

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

Oct 07, 2025   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Health   Making Rights Real   Policy

Facade of Austin Hall at sunset, with windows blazing orange with the setting sun's reflection

Open House

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

Sep 17, 2025   Events

HPOD IN REVIEW

Spring 2025 Semester in Review

Research and Awareness-raising on U.S. Disability Law and Policy, Climate Change, Older Persons' Rights & More


Older man with glasses and white hair stares into a futuristic computer screen

Right to Science and Access to Technology for Older Persons

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


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


Event poster with a light-skinned and -haired medical professional with stethoscope evaluating a light-skinned and white-haired patient.

Access to Health Systems for Older Persons in Conflict Areas

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


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

Jun 16, 2025   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Making Rights Real   Policy

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

Jun 11, 2025   Events   Climate Justice

Man with glasses and globe head and hands reviews a document while holding a stamp of approval.

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

Opportunities to enhance self-advocates' role in shadow reporting

May 26, 2025   Authors: Fionn Crombie Angus & Caroline Naluwemba   Blog Posts   Self-Advocacy

Event poster featuring collage of older persons collaborating superimposed on profile of older person.

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'

May 14, 2025   Events

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

May 11, 2025   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Making Rights Real   Policy

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


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

Apr 11, 2025   News   Self-Advocacy

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

Feb 18, 2025   Author: Janet E. Lord   Blog Posts   Peace & Security

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


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

Nov 08, 2024   Events   Climate Justice

Light-skinned person in power wheelchair wearing navy blue T-shirt with slogan in red and white block print

Disability Rights and Access to the Ballot

Safeguarding all persons with disabilities' full and effective political participation


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

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)

Oct 29, 2024   Events   Peace & Security

Two clenched hands bound together with rope in dramatic lighting against shadowy backdrop

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

Oct 25, 2024   News   Peace & Security

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

Oct 18, 2024   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Making Rights Real

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

Oct 15, 2024   News   Climate Justice

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

Immigrants with Disabilities

Enabling international legal protections

Oct 03, 2024   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Making Rights Real

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

Sep 12, 2024   Events

Library bookshelves in foreground with marble Corinthian pillars in background.

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

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

Aug 30, 2024   News

HPOD IN REVIEW

Spring 2024 Semester in Review

Climate Justice, Mass Incarceration, Peace & Security, and More


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

Jul 31, 2024   Author: Gloria Rodríguez-Gil   Author: Alvaro Diaz   Blog Posts   Making Rights Real   Education   Policy

cover of manual featuring artwork of empowered multicultural people standing around a globe

People with Disabilities Taking Action on Climate Change

HPOD's new Easy Read primer empowers disability climate activists


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

Jul 01, 2024   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Self-Advocacy

empty balancing scales with dramatic shadows against blue background

Inclusive Accountability

The current state of international criminal law and disability

Jun 24, 2024   Author: William I. Pons   Blog Posts   Peace & Security

Participants dressed in formal attire sit at desks in a large room where three speakers are seated on a dais with microphones and name placards, with active sign language interpretation and closed captioning visible.

Understanding the CRPD in the Context of Climate Risks and Emergencies

COSP17 side event highlights states' obligations in the Inter-American Human Rights System

Jun 12, 2024   Events   Climate Justice

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

May 03, 2024   Author: Hezzy Smith   Blog Posts   Self-Advocacy

Prison Bars

Ending the Mass Incarceration of Persons of Color with Disabilities

Toward intersectional solutions to transform policing


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

Apr 05, 2024   News   Climate Justice

Fengming Cui standing in front of staircase.

Dr. Cui Fengming Honored by the Charles River Center

Recognizing over a decade of disability rights advocacy and scholarship

Apr 02, 2024   Press   News

Bright sun in a rainbow circle against a blue sky with dramatic cirrus clouds

Advancing Disability Climate Justice in the Courts

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

Mar 25, 2024   Author: Hezzy Smith   Events   Climate Justice