Erwin Dijkstra joins editorial team Handicap & Recht: 'A great opportunity to share my knowledge'
At the end of 2020 researcher/lecturer Erwin Dijkstra joined the editorial team of academic journal Handicap & Recht (Disability & Law), published by Boom Juridisch. The December issue also includes an article he wrote.
The academic law journal Handicap & Recht was first published in 2016, following the ratification by the Netherlands of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
'The objectives and obligations of this UN Convention are ambitious and necessary’, says Dijkstra. 'It obliges the States Parties to facilitate full participation in society for people with a functional disability. Most societies, here in the Netherlands too, are not geared towards the needs of this group. The emphasis of the Convention is on creating opportunities for people with a functional disability to lead their lives and make independent choices – as far as possible – in the same way as their ‘healthy’ fellow citizens.'
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Most contributions to Handicap & Recht are written by people in the legal profession including many ‘hands on’ experts. 'Joining the editorial staff is a great opportunity for me to share my academic knowledge. Academia and legal practice have always complemented each other.'
As a result of a brain injury, Dijkstra has mobility issues and poor vision. 'Having a functional disability still means being faced with more challenges than people without a disability. The UN Convention was a real global game changer. So it is important that there is also scope for expert academic legal writing on this Convention and associated topics. Handicap & Recht provides that platform.'
Dijkstra is not the only representative of Leiden Law School involved in the journal. 'The editorial team now has a clear link to Leiden since one of my fellow editors is Jiska Ogier, a student at our faculty.'
Dijkstra is looking forward to being an editor on the journal. 'The number of Handicap & Recht subscriptions and views continues to grow – a real boost for this new member on the editorial team!'