Jana Offergeld
Jana Offergeld currently works as a researcher at the WWU University of Münster, Germany, evaluating projects on independent living opportunities for elderly persons with disabilities. Meanwhile she is undertaking a PhD, conducting participative research with persons with mental disabilities.
Jana is also a member of the Mental Health Worldwide Network, a global group aiming to improve the situation of persons with mental health conditions worldwide by awareness rising and advocacy and a regular contributing author of the Disability and Human Rights blog.
Veena Tandon
Veena Tandon is a caregiver from Pune, India and a student from the first batch of the enriching course. She is also a facilitator with NGO, Schizophrenia Awareness Association,Pune (SAA) for the last seven years. Apart from awareness about the illness and stigma removal, she makes the care receivers and caregivers aware about their rights–legal and social.
Kristina Brazevic
Advisor (Monitoring Officer) of the Group on Monitoring Human Rights Situation in Closed Detention Institutions
Employer: The Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office of the Republic of Lithuania
Her activities and responsibilities are: Investigation of complaints of applicants on a number of issues regarding the conditions of closed detention institutions (such as mental health institutions, care homes as well as interrogation isolators, correction houses and prison), the procedure of involuntary admission to a mental health institution, the access to legal aid and good administration; also planning and making inspections to closed detention institutions, drafting reports and recommendations and cooperating with mental health and health care experts, NGOs.
Laura Hambleton
Working at The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi, India
She is currently working at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi India as Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Specialist. She has been sent as a Junior Professional Consultant from United Nations Canada to assist the RSD team in determining the status of asylum seekers who are coming to India for refuge and seeking protection from the UNHCR.
Dovilė Juodkaite
Director of Global initiative on psychiatry, Vilnius office
Vilnius, NGO which aims to promote humane, ethical and effective mental health care throughout the world. Active in advocating for and promoting rights of persons with mental health problems, lobbying for reforming mental health care system and legislation to conform with international human rights standards. GIP office and Ms Dovile develeoped following publication regarding “Mental Health reforms publication dedicated to Lithuania.” - What have Lithuania achieved/failed in Mental health reform in more then 20 years of its independence. You can read it here.
Ebtisam Sanhouri Elrayh
Ebtisam is a senior lecturer at the faculty of law, university of Khartoum, Sudan. She teachs constitutional law and human rights on full time base. She is also a practicing lawyer and certified arbitrator.
Ebtisam She is affiliate with different organizations and groups working in the area of disability, gender, women and human rights. She contributed two papers last year on disability rights, entitle “Right to Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Sudanese Political Parties Agendas: The Election of 2010 and Referendum of 2011”, & “Realizing Rights of Women with Disabilities under International and Regional Conventions: Case Study of Sudan.” Disability was one of discussed issues as well in her papers: “The Up-coming Constitution of Sudan: Gender concerns”, “Legal Aid and Vulnerable Groups: Women Story”, “Enhancing Women Access to Justice: Gender-based Analysis of the Judiciary, MoJ, Police and legal Profession.”
She is wrapping-up her PhD dissertation on Mental Health and the Law in Sudan: Human Rights Perspectives, where she is presenting model legislation based on CRPD and WHO guidelines.