“Disability rights victories in European Court of Human Rights won by HLS advocate,” a news story just posted on the HLS web site, profiles the work of Hungarian disability rights activist János Fiala-Butora (LL.M. ’10), an S.J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School and an associate of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability.

Jan’s advocacy, and his research, focuses on the idea that “people with disabilities should be able to make decisions about their medical treatment, just like everybody else.” His S.J.D dissertation will explore the institution of guardianship for people with disabilities in countries around the world.

This summer, he continued his work in Hungary and Croatia, traveling there with the support of the Chayes International Public Service Fellowship. Working with the Disability Rights Center in Hungary and the Office of the Ombudswoman for Persons with Disabilities in Croatia, he drafted a proposal to the Croatian government on the implementation of Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and researched international human rights standards and problems relating to the application of legal capacity (guardianship) legislation in Croatia and other Central European countries.

The Chayes Fellowships are dedicated to the memory of Professor Abram Chayes, who taught at Harvard Law School for more than 40 years. Please click here to find detailed information about the program.