Helga Stevens, a deaf Member of the European Parliament, will share her work experience in the field of rights protection of people with disabilities as well as the deaf, both in her native Belgium and the European Union as a whole.
The lecture will introduce some of the most current topics for the deaf communities in Russia and Europe, such as the tendencies toward the institutionalization of sign languages, and the linguistic and sociocultural rights of the deaf, including the right of self-fulfillment. Stevens will analyze these issues through the lens of her legal and political experience, while also leaving space for questions.