Michel Tessier

Disability Rights 1980 - 2005 The Breakthrough Years Michel Tessier

This book presents an inventory of disability care in several European countries and the United States of America during a critical twenty-five year period, from 1980 to 2005, during which there emerged a real awareness of the absence of defined rights for disabled people leading to a transformative change in the mentality of political leaders and breakthrough legislation to address this situation. When contemplating a person with a disability from the outside, one can have the mistaken impression that it's a concern only for the affected person. Yet, if you consider that the disabled person could have been you-whether due to fate, illness, an accident or genetics--you realize that it can happen to you in an instant without warning, regardless of gender, social status or geographical region, and with unprecedented brutality. Caring for People with disabilities means looking after Each One of Us. Michel Tessier was born in Paris, France, and currently lives in the United States of America. He is an internationally recognized advocate and authority on disabled children's rights, serving in numerous roles including National Delegate for Disability, Vice President of Public Education Parents Association and President of European Parents of Disabled Students. He is best known for initiating a law in the French parliament providing Scholar Life Assistants for special needs children in public schools. In recognition of his actions and contributions as an authority on disabilities, he received the distinction of "Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, Knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honor" from the President of the French Republic.