Mental Disability Advocacy Center
Encyclopedia
The Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) is a non-governmental organisation founded in Hungary
in 2002. It is headquartered in Budapest
.
Founded by the Open Society Foundations (OSF), MDAC has participatory status with the Council of Europe
, and was granted a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council
.
MDAC has worked at the international level to ensure that international law and policy is as favourable as possible for people with disabilities. They were involved in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
and advocated for its early ratification and implementation. They lobby extensively at the European policy level, are active at the Council of Europe, and regularly send information to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture before their monitoring visits.
In addition, the organization also:
(OSI) is the founder and continues to be one of MDAC's donors. OSI was at that time offering grants to grassroots disability organizations, and in so doing identified a need for a regional human rights organization to specifically challenge human rights abuses against people with disabilities.
In 2004 MDAC gained participatory status with the Council of Europe
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 2002. It is headquartered in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
Founded by the Open Society Foundations (OSF), MDAC has participatory status with the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
, and was granted a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
.
Description
The MDAC web site states that their mission is to: "[advance] the human rights of children and adults with actual or perceived intellectual or psycho-social (mental health) disabilities. Focusing on Europe and central Asia, we use a combination of law and advocacy to promote equality and social integration." MDAC also states that its "...vision is for a world that values emotional, mental and learning differences, and where people respect each other’s autonomy and dignity."MDAC has worked at the international level to ensure that international law and policy is as favourable as possible for people with disabilities. They were involved in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities...
and advocated for its early ratification and implementation. They lobby extensively at the European policy level, are active at the Council of Europe, and regularly send information to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture before their monitoring visits.
In addition, the organization also:
- represents victims of human rights abuses before domestic and international courts
- researches human rights abuses
- provides recommendations on law reform
- works with peer-advocacy organisations
- promotes lay advocacy in closed institutions
- educates lawyers, judges and mental health professionals
History
MDAC was registered as a foundation by the Budapest Capital Court in November 2002. The Open Society InstituteOpen Society Institute
The Open Society Institute , renamed in 2011 to Open Society Foundations, is a private operating and grantmaking foundation started by George Soros, aimed to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform...
(OSI) is the founder and continues to be one of MDAC's donors. OSI was at that time offering grants to grassroots disability organizations, and in so doing identified a need for a regional human rights organization to specifically challenge human rights abuses against people with disabilities.
In 2004 MDAC gained participatory status with the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
.
See also
- Disability rights movementDisability rights movementThe disability rights movement is the movement to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for people with disabilities. The specific goals and demands of the movement are: accessibility and safety in transportation, architecture, and the physical environment, equal opportunities in independent...
- DisabilityDisabilityA disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
- List of disability rights organizations
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesConvention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesThe Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities...