The field of disability law and policy is both new and rapidly expanding at the European level. It covers a disparate range of subject areas, including non-discrimination, transport, education, employment, and housing. The Yearbook brings together all relevant developments and provides an indispensable reference work for lawyers, public policy analysts, researchers, government agencies, and civil society groups. It provides critical insight into the evolution of European disability law and policy, and offers an analysis of pressing challenges in a broad range of fields. The core of the Yearbook consists of a review of the preceding year's significant events, as well as policy and legal developments within the institutions of the European Union. It reviews major EU policy developments, legislative proposals, and non-discrimination case law from the European Court of Justice, as well as the outcomes of major conferences and other relevant events. The Yearbook also reviews the relevant developments on disability issues within the Council of Europe and recounts: the work of the Committee of Ministers * the emerging case law of the European Court of Human Rights * the growing disability jurisprudence of the European Social Charter * developments within the other treaty monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe, such as the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and the Framework Convention for the Protection of Minorities. The relevant work of other European level bodies in the field of disability, including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Conference of Transport Ministers, especially with respect to emergency planning and disability, is also reviewed. An account is given of the relevant activities of various European-level civil society groups including the European Disability Forum, the European Coalition for Community Living, and the Mental Disability Advocacy Group. The Yearbook also contains a bibliography of major publications in the field of European disability law and policy, as well as an annex containing the full text of the most significant documents and policy developments. (Series: European Yearbook of Disability Law - Vol. 1)

As genetic technologies advance, genetic testing may well offer the prospect of detecting the onset of future disabilities. Some research also forwards that certain behavioural profiles may have a strong genetic basis, such as the determination to succeed, or the propensity for risk-taking. As this technology becomes more prevalent, there is a danger that genetic information may be misused by third parties and that particular genetic profiles may be discriminated against by employers, by providers of social goods and services, such as insurance companies and even by educational facilities. This book explores the different forms and potential uses of genetic testing. Drawing together leading experts in disability law, bioethics, health law and a range of related fields, it highlights the ethical and legal challenges arising as a result of emerging and rapidly advancing genetic science. On examining transatlantic perspectives on the matter, chapters in the book ask whether the US Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is proving to be an effective tool in addressing the issue of genetic discrimination and alleviating fears of discrimination. The book also reviews what insights may be gained from GINA within employment and health insurance contexts, and asks how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) may impact similar debates within the European Union. The book focuses particularly on the legislative and policy framework in the European Union, with an emphasis on the gaps in protection and the scope for specific legislative action in this area. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of discrimination law, bioethics and disability law, and will be of considerable use to legal practitioners, medical practitioners and policy-makers in this area.

As genetic technologies advance, genetic testing may well offer the prospect of detecting the onset of future disabilities. Some research also forwards that certain behavioural profiles may have a strong genetic basis, such as the determination to succeed, or the propensity for risk-taking. As this technology becomes more prevalent, there is a danger that genetic information may be misused by third parties and that particular genetic profiles may be discriminated against by employers, by providers of social goods and services, such as insurance companies and even by educational facilities. This book explores the different forms and potential uses of genetic testing. Drawing together leading experts in disability law, bioethics, health law and a range of related fields, it highlights the ethical and legal challenges arising as a result of emerging and rapidly advancing genetic science. On examining transatlantic perspectives on the matter, chapters in the book ask whether the US Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is proving to be an effective tool in addressing the issue of genetic discrimination and alleviating fears of discrimination. The book also reviews what insights may be gained from GINA within employment and health insurance contexts, and asks how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) may impact similar debates within the European Union. The book focuses particularly on the legislative and policy framework in the European Union, with an emphasis on the gaps in protection and the scope for specific legislative action in this area. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of discrimination law, bioethics and disability law, and will be of considerable use to legal practitioners, medical practitioners and policy-makers in this area.

The International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations in the 21st century. It seeks to secure the equal and effective enjoyment of human rights for the estimated 650 million persons with disabilities in the world. It does so by tailoring gerneral human rights norms to their circumstances. It reflects and advances the shift away from welfare to rights in the context of disability. The Convention itself represents a mix between non-discrimination and other substantive human rights and gives practical effect to the idea that all human rights are indivisible and interdependent. This collection of essays examines these developments from the global, European and Scandinavian perspectives and the challenge of transposing its provisions into national law. It marks the coming of age of disabilty as a core human rights concern.

Disability Law and Policy: An Analysis of the UN Convention undertakes a multidisciplinary examination of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The rights-based perspective on disability is a relatively new lens through which disability law and policy is considered. This is despite the fact that persons with disabilities are often described as the world's largest minority. There are approximately 1 billion persons with disabilities in the world (15% of the world's population). This book is an edited volume of essays that undertakes a multidisciplinary examination of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Part 1 focuses on disability and intersectionality. Part 2 addresses the on-going debate about the meaning of Article 12, the right to equal recognition before the law. The chapters contained in Part 3 address the emerging discourse on the right to liberty as contained in Article 14 of the CRPD and the barriers facing persons with mental health problems. Part 4 of this collection examines the right to live independently and to be included in the community. The themes of the right to inclusive education and employment for persons with disabilities are explored in Parts 5 and 6 of the collection. Finally, Part 7 examines how the CRPD is being implemented regionally and in a number of jurisdictions. [Subject: Human Rights Law, Disability Law]