Human Rights and Social Justice Lecture

The Human Rights and Social Justice Lecture series is one of the University's flagship events. The series was inaugurated in 2001, and has been held annually since then.

The lecture series was established to provide an opportunity for members of the University and the wider community to reflect on issues of social justice that challenge Australia.

2008 Human Rights and Social Justice Lecture

2008 Lecture - "The United Nations' Youngest Convention: The Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons, Some Personal Reflections", Prof. Ron McCallum AO

Background

Professor Ron McCallum AO is an eminent Australian who has reached the pinnacle of success in his field despite being totally blind since birth.

• New: Professor McCallum elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Professor McCallum AO is the Deputy Chair of the Vision Australia Board and the Chair of the Radio for the Print Handicapped of New South Wales Co-Operative Ltd. He has also been a 'Don't DIS my ABILITY' ambassador for the International Day of People with a Disability for the past three years.

Professor McCallum has been awarded a Centenary Medal and was admitted as an Officer in the Order of Australia, AO for service to the law, and to the community through support for people with visual impairments and in the areas of social justice and human rights.

Professor McCallum AO is well known for his passion in lecturing, his clarity and thought in writing, his vast memory and his overwhelming sense of social justice. His achievements in the law, plus his lived experience of disability, provide him with excellent qualifications to present the 2008 University of Newcastle Human Rights and Social Justice Lecture.