Maria Verónica Reina (15 June 1964 – 27 October 2017) was an Argentine

educational psychologist An educational psychologist is a psychologist whose differentiating functions may include diagnostic and psycho-educational assessment, psychological counseling in educational communities ( students, teachers, parents, and academic authorit ...

and activist who campaigned internationally for

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...

. Representing the International Disability and Development Consortium, she was a leading contributor to negotiations on the

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, pr ...

Early life

Born in Argentina in 15 June 1964, Maria Verónica Reina was disabled in a car accident at the age of 17 when she was in her final year at school. After a period in hospital, she was nevertheless able to complete her schooling. She had hoped to become a teacher but was refused entry to educational studies as disabled persons were not authorized to teach in Argentina. She managed to overcome these difficulties by opting for educational psychology, graduating from the Universidad Católica de Santa Fe (Catholic University of Santa Fe) in Special Education for School Integration. She went on to earn a master's degree in Open and Distance Learning and Teaching from Spain's

National University of Distance Education The National Distance Education University (, UNED) is a distance learning and research university founded in 1972 and is the only university run by the government of Spain. The headquarters is located in Madrid, with campuses in all Spanish aut ...

Career

Reina developed experience working in a variety of institutions, including the University Institute San Martin in

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

, Argentina; the Argentinean Disabled People Organization, Cilsa; the Center for International Rehabilitation,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

(1997); the Institute for International Disability Advocacy; the Institute for International Cooperation and Development; the Institute for International Disability Advocacy; and the Center for International Rehabilitation. She served as director of international projects at Syracuse University's Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 2006. In 2008, with the support of both BBI and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, she was appointed as the first Executive Director of the Global Partnership for Disability and Development. The partnership set out to promote the inclusion of disabled people into policies and practices through development agencies. She was particularly active in the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee for the Disability Convention. In negotiations on the UN Convention, she involved disability organizations worldwide in her commitment to universal

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

for those with disabilities in an inclusive, accessible and sustainable world. In her role as Coordinator of the International Disability Caucus she represented people with disabilities during the negotiations. She effectively moderated communications and achieved consensus among stakeholders with differing interests. She chaired meetings and conferences, moderated communications and coordinated the translation and distribution documentation in Spanish for Latin American. In the months before she died, she helped to promote the effectiveness of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities under the

International Disability Alliance The International Disability Alliance (IDA), created in 1999, is an umbrella organization focused on improving awareness and rights for individuals with disabilities around the globe. The IDA works with Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's), sup ...

. At a United Nations consultative meeting in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, she sought to reinforce the role of the disability community in implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Maria Verónica Reina died in her hometown, Rosario, on 27 October 2017. She was 54 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reina, Maria Veronica 2017 deaths Argentine disability rights activists Argentine women activists Argentine activists Argentine psychologists Argentine women psychologists Educational psychologists World Bank people National University of Distance Education alumni 1964 births