In 2018, Canada agreed to follow the Optional Protocol (OP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Optional Protocol is an additional part of the CRPD that allows people to make a complaint to the United Nations, if they believe their rights under the CRPD have been violated.
In celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, 2019, ARCH launched a project called OP Lab: Learning, Sharing, Actioning. ARCH lawyers and ARCH’s disability community partners from across Canada invite you to engage in the Optional Protocol Lab a series of learning workshops
Through the OP LAB, ARCH and our project partners offer you the opportunity to learn more about the Optional Protocol and be part of a Canada-wide network engaged in acting for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities!
Become an OP Champion in your Community!
- Participate in a series of 8 courses to understand the Optional Protocol, and how it can be used effectively to advance CRPD implementation in Canada
- Topics will include:
- What is the CRPD? What is the Optional Protocol? How do they work together?
- How does the Optional Protocol work?
- How can individuals use the Optional Protocol?
- Can the Optional Protocol be used for larger, systemic issues that affect people with disabilities in Canada?
- How does the UN deal with complaints under the Optional Protocol?
- Action planning for using the Optional Protocol
- Current implementation and barriers to implementation of the CRPD in Canada
- All information about ARCH’s initiative on the CRPD, and the OP Lab: https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/initiatives/advancing-the-un-crpd/op-lab/
- People who want to participate in the OP Lab will need to submit an application here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5281955/OP-LAB-Application-Form
- See attached a one-pager about the OP Lab, in English and in French.
- Primer video about the CRPD, the Optional Protocol and the OP Lab: youtube.com/channel/UCBwozUKpvREOrGGzpMHTXCw
- Fact sheet about the CRPD and the Optional Protocol: https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/resource/factsheet-the-crpd-and-the-optional-protocol/
- ARCH Alert article about the OP Lab: https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/resources/arch-alerts/
All of these were shared through ARCH’s social media:
- Facebook @ARCHdisabilityLawCentre
- Twitter @archdisabilitylaw
- OP LAB activities, including networking, will be encouraged on social media through #OPlab.
Here are the links in French:
- Website/application form: https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/fr/la-mise-en-oeuvre-de-la-cdph-des-nations-unies/op-lab-apprendre-partager-agir/
- Youtube video primer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQSU5WwWZdU&t=12s
- Factsheet: https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/fr/resource/fiche-dinformation-la-cdph-et-le-protocole-facultatif/
- ARCH Alert article: https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/arch_alert/arch-alert-volume-20-issue-4/#lancement-op-lab
OP Lab for OP Champions
- March 28, 12-4 PM (EST)
- April 25, 12-4 PM (EST)
- May 30, 12-4 PM (EST)
- June 27, 12-4 PM (EST)
OP Lab for Legal Experts
- April 21, 2-4 PM (EST)
- May 19, 2-4 PM (EST)
- June 16, 2-4 PM (EST)
Joint Meeting for OP Champions and OP Legal Experts
- September 15, 1-2 PM (EST)
We will be accepting applications until Friday, February 14, 2020, at 5:00 PM (EST). The information has been updated in our website: www.archdisabilitylaw.ca/initiatives/advancing-the-un-crpd/op-lab