Front-page: CAHR students report on disabled people’s rights and the prevention of terrorism
On 10 April 2023, the York Press published a front-page article and detailed commentary on findings of a report written by postgraduate students at the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) and the York Law School.
Raluca Coruian, Samantha Holmes and Maisha Tafannum Zaman conducted research into how disabled people’s rights and the prevention of terrorism could be reconciled in York.
They conclude that “the rights of disabled people and [counter-terrorism] initiatives can be reconciled, however [the City of York Council’s] approach has been an imbalanced one that affords disproportionate weight to the right to life based on an over-inflated perception of the terror threat and an undervalued consideration of the adverse impacts on [Blue Badge holders].”
Importantly, the report proposes 10 concrete, operationalizable recommendations addressed to the Council and the North Yorkshire Police.
The students’ research was commissioned by the ‘Reverse the Ban’ coalition and conducted as part of the Human Rights Placement, an experiential learning module that CAHR students must complete for their master’s degree.
Adelaida Ibarra, the students’ academic supervisor notes:
“Although the investigation was requested by the ‘Reverse the Ban’ campaign group, the purpose of this was not to reproduce previous work or to echo the group’s arguments, but rather to genuinely try to find avenues to the controversy, to find a way to balance the conflicting interests, bringing other voices and viewpoints into the debate.
"The researchers were equal to the task entrusted to them and did a splendid job. Their work was carried out with independence and scientific rigour. The research took ethical risks into account and all measures were taken to minimise them according to the University of York’s standards.
"The researchers resorted to a plurality of sources ranging from the review of specialised literature, webcasts of City of York Council meetings and Council reports, comments made as part of the Reverse the Ban Coalition’s postcard campaign, and of course, the insightful fieldwork. The researchers were the ones who selected the individuals to be interviewed, prepared and applied the interview questionnaire, carried out the data analysis, and wrote the final report.
"The selected sample of interviewees was made up mainly of academics and practitioners from the fields of counter-terrorism and disability rights. Throughout the research process, students had the support and feedback of a supervisor and the research output was reviewed by two academic evaluators receiving excellent feedback.”
Over the years, the Human Rights Placement module has facilitated students’ research for United Nations agencies and mechanisms, governmental bodies – such as the North Yorkshire Police on several occasions – prominent humanitarian organisations, international, regional, and local civil society organisations and networks.
The pedagogical aim is clear: our students have the opportunity to apply academic concepts and rigour to real-life contexts so that their work contributes to better human rights protection on the ground.
It is hoped that the actors debating the future of the Blue Badge in York will consider the report’s recommendations, not least because, as Eleanor Roosevelt observed, “where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home.”