People with disabilities often face barriers in exercising their right to work. As a consequence, many continue to be excluded from the labour market, with unemployment rates of 69% existing for certain impairments in Australia.

Dr Paul Harpur’s research analyses the practical and theoretical operation of laws and institutions that impact upon equality for persons with disabilities. This research agenda considers the capacity of persons with disabilities to exercise various rights protected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  This research agenda includes a large range of projects, including: analysing the capacity of laws to enabling persons with disabilities to exercise their right to work; How the enforcement of laws (including anti-discrimination and domestic violence laws) reduce the capacity of persons with disabilities to exercise basic human rights; How disability interacts with ablism studies and other oppressed identities.

Project members

Professor Paul Harpur

ARC Future Fellow
TC Beirne School of Law
Affiliate of Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law & Affiliate of Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law
Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law