Diane Kingston

Diane Kingston OBE

Diane Kingston OBE (formerly Diane Mulligan) born 4 October 1966 is a UK-based disability rights campaigner.^[1][2] She is Deputy Director of the International Advocacy and Alliances department at CBM, an international Christian development organisation committed to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities in poor communities.^[3] In 2012 she became the UK elected member of the Expert Committee for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).^[4] Kingston was elected as a Vice-Chairperson of the Expert Committee in March 2015.^[5]

Early life

Kingston was born on 4 October 1966 and brought up in Barnstaple, North Devon.^[2] She left school with few qualifications, a fact attributed to undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD,^[6] but was accepted as a mature student at Queen's University, Belfast. She graduated in 1995 with First Class honours in Women's Studies and went on to get a master's degree in Science and Technology Policy from the Science and Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex.^[3]

Disability and development

Kingston has worked on social justice issues all her life, in particular relating to international development and human rights. She worked at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) as a research officer^[7] before becoming Country Director of VSO Indonesia.^[8] The loss of a leg in a road traffic accident in Indonesia^[9] led to relocation to the UK and engagement in the national disability arena. Notable achievements in this field have included serving on the Disability Committee of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission^[10] (EHRC) and membership of Equality 2025,^[11] formerly the UK advisory group to Government for disability equality. She is a former co-Chair of the United Nations task group for the International Disability and Development Consortium^[12] and Chair of the Disability and Development Group of BOND, the UK membership body for organisations working in international development.^[13] She supported Go ON Gold, which was a national campaign to raise awareness about the barriers faced by disabled people in accessing computers and the internet.^[14] She was appointed an OBE in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to disabled people and to equal opportunities.^[1] In 2012 she was elected a member of the Expert Committee for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,^[4] for which she participates in the working groups on women and girls with disabilities (Article 6), and communications and inquiries.^[15] Prior to working for CBM, she was Global Disability Advisor for Sightsavers,^[16] where she co-authored policy briefs on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and people with disabilities,^[17] and disability and social inclusion.^[18] At CBM she was the lead author of the organisation's position paper on the post-MDG global framework.^[19] and Co-editor of its 2030 development goals publication^[20]

Work in the health sector

From 2007-2011, Kingston was a member of the World Health Organization's Advisory Board for Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR), and she was the lead author of that organisation's CBR guidelines component on education.^[21] From 2006-2007, she served on the British Medical Association's Patient Liaison Group and Equal Opportunities Committee, and had advisory input into two publications: Disability in the Medical Profession (2007)^[22] and Disability Equality within Healthcare: the role of healthcare professionals (2007).^[23] Kingston has a particular interest in ADHD. From 2006-2008 she was a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Guideline Development Group^[24] on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.^[25]

Other campaigning work

Kingston is an official supporter of the Global Initiative to End all Corporal Punishment of Children^[26] (GITEACPOA) and has campaigned for a change in the law to allow UK Members of Parliament to job share to enable more people from under-represented groups to stand for Parliament.^[27]

Academic work

Kingston has been a guest lecturer on disability and international development at University College London.^[28] She participates on the Steering Committee for the International Centre for Evidence in Disability at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.^[29] and is a guest speaker on their Global Disability and Health study unit ^[30]

Key publications

• Howell, J. & Mulligan, D. (eds.) (2005) Gender and Civil Society: Transcending Boundaries, Routledge, London.
• Mulligan, D. 'The discourse of Dangdut: gender and civil society in Indonesia' in Howell, J. & Mulligan, D.(2005) Gender and Civil Society: Transcending Boundaries, Routledge, London.
• Miles, S., Fefoame, G O., Mulligan, D. & Haque, Z. (2012) 'Education for diversity: the role of networking in resisting disabled people's marginalisation in Bangladesh'. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. Routledge.
• Mulligan, D, & Barclay, H. (2009) 'Tackling violence against women – lessons for efforts to tackle other forms of targeted violence', Safer Communities, Pier Professional, Hove, UK.
• Wickenden, M., Mulligan, D., Fefoame, G.O. & Katende, P. (2012) 'Stakeholder consultations on community-based rehabilitation guidelines in Ghana and Uganda', African Journal of Disability 1(1) Article #1.

References

External links

• CBM Diane Kingston profile
• Diane Kingston blog