Disability Rights Monitoring Training Seminar, November 16-21, 2007

From November 16th-21st, 2007, D.R.P.I. Canada hosted a six-day seminar to train 10 people from the disability communities of Toronto and Quebec City to monitor the individual human rights experiences of people with disabilities in their cities. In keeping with the principle that disability rights monitoring must be owned by people with disabilities themselves, all monitors and a majority of the facilitators were people with disabilities.

On Friday November 16th, presentations were made by representatives of the project’s organizational partners. In the morning, Laurie Beachell from the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (C.C.D.) outlined the situation of Canadians with disabilities and the C.C.D.’s efforts in the fields of law reform, litigation, public education, knowledge development, and human rights.  In the afternoon, Alex Neve from Amnesty International Canada spoke of the challenges involved in international human rights activism and argued for a human rights-based approach to disability.  Sandra Carpenter from Centre for Independent Living, Toronto spoke about the important role that centres for independent living play in the lives of Canadians with disabilities.

Jen being interviewed by monitors Melanie and Matthew

Over the next days, participants began learning about the intricacies and challenges of conducting monitoring interviews in the field. The Interview Guide developed by D.R.P.I. and previously tested in various countries was reviewed in detail and participants were given the opportunity to recommend adaptations for the Canadian context. Special consideration was given to the importance of obtaining the free and informed consent of interviewees and protecting the confidentiality of the information collected. Participants were also provided with the opportunity to put the knowledge and skills learned during the seminar nto practice through multiple role plays with one another and practice interviews with people with disabilities from the community.

Robin being congratulated for completing disability rights monitoring training.

The last day of the seminar was dedicated to training the coordinators for the Quebec City and Toronto sites. The day opened with a hands-on introduction to using NVivo software as a tool to organize and analyze monitoring data. The second part of the day consisted of discussions regarding the roles and responsibilities of site coordinators when overseeing activities in the field.

Since the seminar, monitors have begun conducting interviews with people with disabilities in their cities. Over the course of the next two months, 50 interviews will be conducted in both Toronto and Quebec City. The information collected will be used to promote awareness of disability discrimination, inform advocacy for equal rights and encourage the development of inclusive policies and laws. It will also contribute to monitoring Canada’s responsibilities under international human rights treaties, including the new United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Monitoring Individual Experiences – Team Members

• Marcia Rioux, Project Director, York University
• Normand Boucher,  Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et  Intégration Sociale (C.I.R.R.I.S.), Laval University
• Sandra Carpenter, Centre for Independent Living, Toronto
• Steven Estey, Council of Canadians with Disabilities
• Isabel Kiloran, York University
• Mihaela Dinca, D.R.P.I. Canada Project Coordinator (tel: 416-736-2100 ext. 20883)

Organizational Partners

• Amnesty International Canada
• Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (C.A.I.L.C.)
• Council of Canadians with Disabilities (C.C.D.)
• DisAbled Women’s Network – Ontario
• Disability Rights Promotion International (D.R.P.I.)
• Equitas