Edmore Masendeke
- Email: lw12etm@leeds.ac.uk
- Thesis title: Acccess to Justice for People with Psychosocial and Intellectual Disabilities in England and Ireland
- Supervisors: Professor Anna Lawson, Professor Louise Ellison
Profile
I am a disabled Early Stage Researcher on the DARE (Disability Advocacy Research in Europe) Network and a PhD student at the School of Law. My academic interest in disability and law stems from my own experience of life as a disabled person.
In 2010, I founded Endless Possibilities, an organisation that runs empowerment programmes for people with disabilities and advocates for their rights in Zimbabwe. I was subsequently awarded a scholarship to pursue an LLM in European and International Human Rights Law from the University of Leeds under Open Society Foundation’s Disability Rights Scholarship Program.
After obtaining my LLM., I participated in an Open Society Foundation funded research internship at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. My research focused on the implementation of Article 19 of the CRPD in South Africa.
In 2014, I participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program on the Civic Leadership Track, where I was attached to the University of Delaware and attended the Presidential Summit in Washington, DC.
I am also a member of the board of trustees of the Dyslexia in Africa Trust and a founding member of the Pan-African Network of Youths with Disabilities.
Research interests
My research interests concern the transformative potential of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRP).
My PhD project focuses on the communication support that is available to defendants with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities during court proceedings in England and Ireland. My study will investigate the effectiveness of this support and reflect on the extent to which it is consistent with international human rights standards. I will interview people with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities to capture their views and opinions about the support they received during criminal court proceedings and identify the areas which they feel are in need of reform. I will also hold focus group discussions with support providers to explore possible reforms in this area.
Qualifications
- LLM European and International Human Rights Law
- Honours Degree in Business Studies