Our Work

Fall 2023 Semester in Review

Older Persons' Rights, Climate Change, International Humanitarian Law, and more

This past fall 2023 semester, HPOD advanced research and awareness-raising activities at the intersections of the human rights of older persons, climate change, international humanitarian law, and more, as part of its ongoing efforts to enabling civil society to undertake informed disability rights advocacy.

HPOD continued its advocacy and awareness-raising activities to inform the work of both policymakers and civil society stakeholders on key disability rights issues, including raising awareness of the need for stronger international legal protections for older persons’ human rights, promoting disability justice in the context of climate change litigation, and empowering self-advocates to use research as a tool for making their voices heard.

Towards Effective Human Rights Protections for Older Persons

Led by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and co-sponsored by HPOD as part of a broad coalition of prominent civil
Promoting Disability-Inclusive Climate Action through Litigation

Last month, HPOD, together with the Programa de Acción por la Igualdad y la Inclusión Social (PAIIS), based at the
Experiences of Group Home Residents with Intellectual Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite awareness that the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected people living in congregate settings as well as the increased health risks faced by people with
Private Citizens’ Role in Enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer. The Court will consider whether a private citizen

HPOD organized a series of timely events on emerging issues, including reckoning with the history of state institutions for persons with disabilities, strengthening international humanitarian legal protections for marginalized groups, and advocating for a disability-inclusive global climate agenda. Finally, in December 2023, HPOD's Executive Director, Professor Michael Ashley Stein, was awarded the prestigious Dole-Harkin Award by the U.S. International Council on Disability in recognition of the exceptional impact his scholarship and advocacy has had on the global disability rights movement.

Professor Michael Ashley Stein Honored by US International Council on Disability

The United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) has selected HPOD's Executive Director, Professor Michael Ashley Stein, to receive this year&rsquo
Strengthening International Humanitarian Legal Protections for Marginalized Groups

On November 2nd, HPOD hosted a virtual panel on “Strengthening International Humanitarian Legal Protections for Marginalized Groups Accounting for Children, Women, and Persons with
Reckoning with the History of State Institutions for People with Disabilities

On October 25th, HPOD hosted a panel discussion exploring the work disability rights activists and scholars are doing in Massachusetts to confront the largely hidden
Ensuring Disability Inclusion in the Global Climate Action Agenda

On Tuesday, October 3rd, HPOD hosted “Ensuring Disability Inclusion in the Global Climate Action Agenda,” a virtual call to action ahead of the 2