Rosalee S. Dorfman

Researching mental disability law and courtroom dynamics in the UK during my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Leeds fostered my interest in this field. MDAC provided an exciting opportunity to focus on progressive mental disability law and policy at the European and international levels.

As the strategic litigation intern between 30 September and 7 November 2013, I contributed to the Global Jurisprudence Tracker project, a database with key cases on intellectual disability and psycho-social disability decided by regional and domestic courts around the world. I edited case summaries to increase their accessibility, identify weaknesses in the content and research to fill specific gaps. Furthermore I contributed to decisions on the project's development and timeline.

With a focus on legal capacity and guardianship laws in Eastern Europe, I conducted specific research to support MDAC’s pending cases before the European Court of Human Rights.

Working as part of the MDAC team, I learned from the NGO’s expertise in strategic communication and advocacy. The publication of the Legal Capacity Report provided insight into the multi-faceted process of improving national policies across Europe.

Although an internship at MDAC may be brief, the welcoming nature of the organisation and awareness of the need for more advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and people with psycho-social disabilities drives one to commit to advancing the aims of MDAC for a lifetime. 

Rosalee S. Dorfman
University of Leeds