Placements occur in a wide variety of law-related settings such as Indigenous communities, legal clinics, non-profit organizations, or non-governmental organizations. They will expose students to a range of competencies important for legal work for the duration of one term. Placements share an overarching commitment to, and analysis of, the operation of access to justice. Student-specific competencies aligned with the learning outcomes are developed by the student, Placement Supervisor, and Externship Director. Students are expected to develop a Learning Agreement describing these competencies and plan to meet them over the term. In addition, students complete a midterm and end-of-term evaluation.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD)
International adjudication, policymaking, and disability rights advocacy. Make a real contribution.
Persons with disabilities comprise 15% of the world’s population and over 22% of Canadians. The United Nations enacted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006. It is the first human rights treaty body of the 21st century and focuses on furthering the rights of persons with disabilities around the world. Canada ratified the Convention in 2010.
This Project-Based External Placement provides students with the opportunity to work with a member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Students will gain an up-close look at the functioning of the UN, adversarial advocacy before it, policymaking and norm generation of disability equality law, and an in-depth appreciation of disability rights law at the international level. Through reflective work, students will also gain a better understanding of Canadian domestic disability rights law and its relationship to international law.
This Project-Based External Placement is worth four (4) credits. The placement has full-time hours and begins in August. Students must be available in late July and during the month of August for lectures and preparation. Students will have the opportunity to travel to the UN in Geneva for at least two weeks to take part in this PBEP. 1-2 students will be selected. In order to be eligible for this placement, you must be a 2L or 3L student with interest in disability rights law and human rights.
APPLY NOW!
Applications due by Friday, May 26th, 2023.
Applications include the following documents, to be uploaded in one pdf:
- A cover letter describing why you would like to be selected for this PBEP placement. Provide highlights of your experiences and learning that would contribute to a placement. It can be addressed to Dr. Laverne Jacobs.
- Your resume;
- Your transcript (an unofficial transcript will suffice); and
- A writing sample (max 10 pages, double-spaced).
Please submit applications to Victoria Cino, Staff Lawyer and Executive Research Coordinator (Law, Disability & Social Change Project), at victoria.cino@uwindsor.ca.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD)
Persons with disabilities comprise 15% of the world’s population and over 22% of Canadians. The United Nations enacted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006. It is the first human rights treaty body of the 21st century and focuses on furthering the rights of persons with disabilities around the world. Canada ratified the Convention in 2010.
This Project-Based External Placement provides students with the opportunity to work with a member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Students will gain an up-close look at the functioning of the UN, adversarial advocacy before it, policymaking and norm generation of disability equality law, and an in-depth appreciation of disability rights law at the international level. Through reflective work, students will also gain a better understanding of Canadian domestic disability rights law and its relationship to international law.
- Students will have the opportunity to travel to take part in this PBEP.
- One-two upper year student will be selected each time the PBEP is offered.
- This PBEP is worth four credits.
APPLY NOW!
Applications due Monday, November 20th, 2023 at 12:00pm.
Applications include the following documents, to be uploaded in one pdf:
- A cover letter describing why you would like to be selected for this PBEP placement. Provide highlights of your experiences and learning that would contribute to a placement. It can be addressed to Prof. Laverne Jacobs;
- Your resume;
- Your transcript (an unofficial transcript will suffice); and
- A writing sample (max 10 pages, double-spaced).
Project-based External Placements are typically developed by faculty members and community need. Once a PBEB has been developed, students will be recruited. Students should await email instructions for applying to available positons.
PBEP is open to students in their second or third year during either term. Students will reflect on the placement experience, its implications on communities’ experience of “justice” and the significance of collaboration with external parties and communities. Regular appointments will be scheduled between the student, placement supervisor and academic supervisor. An orientation, mid-term and debrief sessions will be scheduled with all students in PBEPs. Students are permitted to enroll in one PBEP per academic year.
2-4 credits. Most PBEPs will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. If the Academic Supervisor opts to move to graded system, all students must be assessed on the same basis. There is additional detail about evaluation in the sample syllabus. The form of evaluation will be set prior to registration and may not be changed once the course has begun.
Students will be evaluated on four course components:
1) Attendance at meetings (including class meetings);
2) Completing requisite hours per week of course related work and logging the hours;
3) Completion of assignments; and
4) Collaborating with peers, lawyers, community members as relevant and course instructors.
Feedback will primarily come from the Placement Supervisor based on the work conducted by the student over the term.
Please contact Professor Laverne Jacobs and/or Staff Lawyer Victoria Cino with any questions about this placement.
For further information, please contact Clinical and Experiential Learning Coordinator