Liisa Kauppinen, who contribued an essay to Human Rights and Disability Advocacy, is a winner of the 2013 United Nations Human Rights Award Prize. Kauppinen will receive the prize today at a ceremony held at UN headquarters in New York City. Here's a quote from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights describing Kauppinen's advocacy work over the past four decades.
Dr. Liisa Kauppinen has been a ‘voice’ for the human rights of deaf people since 1970. She was effective in securing the inclusion of references to signed languages, Deaf Culture, Deaf Community and the identity of deaf people within the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006. Dr Kauppinen's human rights work, however, has not focused exclusively on the rights of deaf people, but also on rights of women and women with disabilities. Dr Kauppinen's passion for international work lead to a number of development co-operation projects with Deaf Communities in Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia, Latin America, the Balkans and North West Russia.
Congratulations, Dr. Kauppinen!
