Dr. Laverne Jacobs has been nominated for election to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Canada's Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough and Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk made the announcement Thursday afternoon.
Jacobs is Windsor Law's Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies and is an expert in the areas of disability equality, human rights and administrative law.
"I think I'm able to contribute meaningfully ... in terms of diversity and inclusion," she says.
If elected, Dr. Jacobs will be the first Canadian ever to sit on the CRPD Committee.
"I'd really like to have the opportunity to contribute from my expertise," she says. "This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute on a global scale."
She says the opportunity to become Canada's nominee came together quickly.
"I was very grateful to have the support of disability community organizations and members of the community who put together letters, etcetera," she says.
The committee will be composed of 18 independent experts in the field of human rights.
Jacobs will launch an international campaign in June of 2022.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi.