Colin Mackenzie Low, Baron Low of Dalston, (born 23 September 1942) is a British politician,

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

scholar and member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

Early life

Low was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and has been blind since the age of three. He was educated at what is now

New College Worcester New College Worcester (or NCW; formerly RNIB New College) is an independent boarding and day school for students, aged 11–19, who are blind or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students. It is located in the city of Worcester, Engla ...

, at

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

( BA) and at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

(Diploma in Criminology).

Career

Low was a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

from 1968 until 1984 and later held a research post at

City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...

until 2000. He is a Vice-President of the

RNIB The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is a UK charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people in the UK with sight loss. History The RNIB was founded by Thomas Rhodes Armitage, a doctor who had eye ...

and former Chairman. He was also President of th
European Blind Union
(EBU) for 8 years from 2003. He is a board member of the Snowdon Trust, founded by the Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, which provides grants and scholarships for students with disabilities. Low is the Immediate Past President of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment.

Honours

Low was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the

2000 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and New Zealand were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various ...

for services to the

and disabled peoples' rights. On 13 June 2006, he was created a life peer as Baron Low of Dalston, of

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...

in the London Borough of Hackney and he sits as a crossbencher. In 2014 he was awarded the ''Liberty'' Human Rights 'Campaign of the Year Award'. The citation reads: "for leading the campaign to ensure the protection of the Human Rights Act would apply to all residential care provided or arranged by local authorities. His victory forced the Government to accept the importance of guaranteeing human rights protections by demonstrating just how relevant those rights are for all." The award was presented to Lord Low at the annual Human Rights Awards ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on 1 December 2014.

References

House of Lords minutes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Colin Baron Low of Dalston 1942 births Living people Blind royalty and nobility Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People's peers Blind politicians Academics of the University of Leeds Crossbench life peers People from Dalston People from the London Borough of Hackney Life peers created by Elizabeth II