A public lecture at NUIG is to address the concept of equality that underpins the new UN Disability Convention Entitled 'The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – New Dawn or False Hopes?' the lecture, which will be delivered by Professor Jerome Bickenbach, will be of interest to persons with disabilities, their representative organisations, families, carers and service providers.

Professor Gerard Quinn, Director of the Centre for Disability Law and Policy, at the Faculty of Law, NUI, Galway

Originally from Canada, Professor Bickenbach is one of the foremost international authorities on ethical, philosophical, and legal issues in disability policy. Working recently with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, he played a central role in drafting its International Classification of Functioning, a framework for measuring health and disability at both individual and population levels.

During his visit to Ireland, Professor Bickenbach will be a guest of the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the Faculty of Law in NUI, Galway.

Professor Gerard Quinn, Director of Centre, said: "We are delighted to welcome such a highly engaging speaker. Jerome helped WHO completely rethink its understanding of disability and steered it away from an excessive reliance on 'medical approaches' toward a more 'socialised approach'. This approach places the problems of disability on the barriers confronting the person, rather than on the individual person. This 'social approach' to disability had a dramatic effect in the drafting of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which Ireland has signed and is due to ratify."

All members of the public are welcome to attend this free event, which takes place on Monday 14 April at 7pm in Áras Moyola, ground floor, Room 127, North Campus. Refreshments will be served afterwards. Those wishing to attend or those with special requirements can contact 087-6660634 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it