Colin Low, Baron Low of Dalston
Colin Mackenzie Low, Baron Low of Dalston, CBE ( born September 23, 1942 in Edinburgh) is a British politician, Life Peer, lawyer and university professor.
Life and career
Colin Low, born with an eye condition, is totally blind since the age of three years. He attended the Worcester College for the Blind, a school under the auspices of the Royal National Institute for the Blind, in Worcestershire. He studied law at Cambridge University and at Queen's College, Oxford University. There he earned a degree in criminology. From 1968 to 1984 he was professor of Criminal Law and Criminology at the University of Leeds.
In 1984 he became director of the Disability Resource Team in London, an organization that provides advice, assistance and support to people with disabilities offers. He held until 1994 this office. From 1994 to 2000 was low as a Senior Research Fellow at the City University London, where he scientifically tested theories of disability and explored. In 2000 he was Chairman ( Chairman ) of the Royal National Institute for the Blind. In 2003, he became President of the European Blind Union; there he had already been involved in various committees since 1996.
Low held various other offices in different organizations and associations. From 1996 to 2000 he was a member of the National Disability Council. From 1997 to 1999 he was a member of the Task Force on Disability. From 2000 to 2002 he was commissioner for issues of integration of disabled people ( Disability Rights Commissioner).
Since 2008 he has been President of Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, an organization that students with disabilities in the study admission and advises in finding internship opportunities, trainee programs and support in entering the labor market. Since 2009, he is also President of the UK Association for Accessible Formats ( UKAAF ), an organization for the promotion, production, manufacture and unification of standards in the access of the disabled to information, especially in audio documents, publications in Braille and electronic media.
Membership in the House of Lords
Low was appointed in May 2006 to Life peer as Baron Low of Dalston, of Dalston in the London Borough of Hackney. In the House of Lords he sits as a cross Bencher. He was one of seven new non-party peers. The House of Lords Appointments Commission had proposed low as president of the Royal National Institute for the Blind and as President of the European Blind Union, as well as his long-term commitment to the rights of people with disabilities because of his social interaction. He was on 11 July 2006, supported by Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, and Alf Morris, Baron Morris of Manchester officially inaugurated. His inaugural address was delivered on 21 November 2006. During this speech Low joined expressly for the rights and interests of blind people. It should be a policy objective in the House of Lords, to work for the improvement of job opportunities, integration of the blind into society. He stressed the commonality of blind people with other disabled people and expressed his hope to be able to contribute something other than blind to the diversity of the House of Lords with regard to its composition.
When his political interests he is out of the employment issues of disability to continue: secondary education, promotion of art and music, broadcasting matters, criminal law and law enforcement. Countries are of interest for him: the United States, Australia and South Africa.
In the House of Lords to Low sat sustainable for the legal and social equality for people with disabilities, especially for the rights of the blind, a. In connection with the now adopted in the UK integrated Discrimination Act ( Equality Bill 2010) Low criticized that the law still bein consider issues that were of concern among disabled people, especially the introduction and statutory authorization of a qualification system, the disabled disadvantage. Low welcomed the law are collectively but warned together with Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton and Rosalie Wilkins, Baroness Wilkins warned that the Equality Bill should not restrict by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA ) been granted legal protection of disabled people.
Honors
In 1984 Low Snowdon Award. In 2000 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He is since 2008 Honorable Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford.
Private
In 1969 he married Jill Coton Irene, with whom he has two children, a son and a daughter. Privately, he is a Liebbaber of music and good quality wines.