Lucy Humphreys

For the first three weeks of my internship I was writing case summaries. As I had not studied mental health law this was a really useful way for me to become acquainted with the issues and see the way in which international human rights law interacts with this area of law.

For the following two weeks I was very fortunate to be able to partake in the summer school organised by MDAC on Mental Disability Law in Practice. This was a rich experience as it included issue based sessions revolving around the CRPD, interview and advocacy skills, as well as strategic litigation sessions which looked at a case presented by each student. The summer school included a monitoring visit to an institution in Budapest; I think this is a visit which will stay with me throughout my career as it moved the discussion from the abstract and towards real lives. I was also able to learn a great deal from those I studied with, who ranged from law professors from South Africa to NGO staff from China.

The main research project I worked on involved looking at the process of deinstitutionalisation in Hungary. I also did some work on the interaction between the disabled and gay communities in preparation for the Eurogames and Pride. I was given a wide variety of work in between projects which included proof reading articles to be published by MDAC, fundraising research and public relations tasks.  I found that MDAC was a very friendly and welcoming environment and as interns we were included in the many aspects of an international NGO, including staff seminars and meetings.

I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at MDAC for providing me with this valuable opportunity.

Lucy Humphreys