Summer School 2023: The Theory, Practice and Politics of Supported Decision-Making: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives
The 2023 Autonomy Summer School takes place on 9th, 10th and 11th August at
Wivenhoe House Hotel, University of Essex, Colchester Campus.
Register here.
About the Summer School
- How are laws here in the UK and around the world being reformed to achieve greater inclusion for persons living with disabilities?
- How can concrete practices of care be modified to ensure respect for the human rights of care recipients?
- What does it mean to respect for the rights, will and preferences of persons in care settings?
- How should practices of supported decision-making and advance choices be regulated?
- What is the state-of-the-art in research on interpretative support for the exercise of legal capacity?
Each year, the Autonomy Project Summer School brings together an international group of students, researchers, policy makers, and frontline professionals in medicine, law and social work, as well as activists and service users, civil servants and legislators. The aim is to work together on strategies for embedding respect for human rights and self-determination in care practices.
2023 will mark the 13th incarnation of the Summer School. Our focus this year will be the theory, practice and politics of supported decision-making and support for the exercise of legal capacity. We will adopt a cross-cultural approach to the challenge, with particular attention to recent developments in Scotland (which has recently completed an intensive review of mental health and mental capacity legislation), Japan (which was recently reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and where new pilot programs are underway), and Australia (which has long been a global leader in practices for decision-making support).
This year’s summer school will be conducted in English and Japanese; translation services provided.
The 2023 Summer School is co-sponsored by the Essex Autonomy Project, the Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society, and Supported Decision-Making Japan.
About the Autonomy Project
The Essex Autonomy Project is a research and public policy initiative, based at the University of Essex, and investigating the ideal of self-determination (autonomy) in the context of care (health care, social care, eldercare, psychiatric care, etc.). Led by Professor of Philosophy, Wayne Martin, it involves extensive intramural and extramural collaboration with jurists, clinicians, service users, activists, civil servants, and policy makers. It is affiliated with the Wellcome-funded Mental Health and Justice project and the award-winning Essex Human Rights Centre.
Fees
Without Accommodation:
£475: Early-Bird Registration; deadline 1 May;
£525; after 1 May.
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With TWO Nights Accommodation:
(nights of 9 and 10 Aug.; bed and breakfast; subject to availability):
£725: Early-Bird Registration; deadline 1 May;
£775; after 1 May.
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With THREE Nights Accommodation:
(nights of 8, 9 and 10 Aug.; bed and breakfast; subject to availability):
£850: Early-Bird Registration; deadline 1 May;
£900; after 1 May.
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With FOUR Nights Accommodation:
(nights of 8, 9, 10 and 11 Aug.; bed and breakfast; subject to availability):
£975: Early-Bird Registration; deadline 1 May;
£1025; after 1 May.
Confirmed Speakers
Michael Bach (Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society)
For over 25 years, Michael Bach has undertaken research and development in Canada and internationally on ways to advance the full inclusion and human rights of persons with disabilities. His research and publications cover disability theory, policy and practice in a range of areas including education, employment, and funding and delivery of community-based services. Michael’s particular area of expertise is in legal capacity of people with intellectual disabilities. Michael holds a Ph. D. in Sociology and Equity Studies from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where his dissertation focused on developing a more inclusive theory of personhood on which to challenge the usual equation between intellectual disability and legal incapacity. Michael is currently an Open Society Foundations Fellow, continuing his international comparative research on the right to legal capacity for people with significant intellectual and cognitive disabilities.
Toshihiko Mizushima
(Japan Legal Support Centre)
Toshihiko (‘Toshi’) is a practicing attorney and advocate in Japan with expertise on human-rights and disability and the Japanese Adult Guardians Law. Since 2018, he has been working closely with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Japanese Law Society (JFBA), and the national expert committee covering issues of adult guardianship in Japan, developing national guidelines on supported decision-making.
Colin McKay
Colin served on the executive of the recent Scottish review, is Professor at the Centre for Mental Health and Capacity Law at Edinburgh Napier University, and was for many years the Chief Executive of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.
Joanne Watson
(Deakin University, Melbourne)
Dr. Joanne (Jo) Watson is a Speech Pathologist with over 30 years experience in the international disability sector, particularly in Hong Kong, China, Australia, and the USA. As the co-founder and director of Deakin University’s Post graduate disability and inclusion program, Jo balances her passion for teaching with a range of research projects. Her research is focused on the impact of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), specifically on the capacity of signatory nations to uphold the rights of people with complex communication access needs. Her work is centered on empowering people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) to lead self-determined lives and is driven by a strong commitment to equality. Her work has been published widely in peer-reviewed journals and books and has received recognition for its innovative approach to empowering people with PIMD to lead self-determined lives. As a frequent invited speaker both in Australia and internationally, Jo is unwavering in her conviction that human communication is central to enabling all people, particularly people with PIMD to achieve their human right of autonomy.
Wayne Martin
(Essex Autonomy Project)
Wayne is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex, where he is a member of the Essex Human Rights Centre and Director of the Essex Autonomy Project, a research and public policy initiative focusing on the ideal of self-determination (autonomy) in the context of care (health care, social care, eldercare, psychiatric care, etc.). He also holds an honorary research position with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. He is the author of numerous research articles and reports focusing on issues concerning decision-making and mental capacity in the context of mental health care, and has been involved in policy formation both in the UK and abroad. From 2014-16 he led a team that supported the UK Ministry of Justice in preparation for the review by the United Nations of UK compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2018 he served on the Equality and Human Rights topic group for the Wessely Review of the Mental Health Act.
