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Does a barrister have to be a criminal in order to act as advocate? It clearly helps if they know the issues and the law, but I don't think it necessary for them to nip out and do a bit of shop lifting so they are able to speak from personal experience. On Tue, 24 Jul 2001 16:59:36 +0100 Jenny Woodhouse <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dear all > > I agree with Maggie's point. An appropriate able-bodied person (like me) can > of course know the issues and the legislation and be useful; but not in the > same way as a disabled person. Sometimes I learn something, as I did when I > had to walk a pavement among parked cars and wheelie-bins with cyclists using > it as a race track, and thought just what it would be like if I had had a > mobility problem - but that's not a substitute for real knowledge. I had a > call once from a member of staff from an ethnic minority group who was quite > clear that my experience as a woman could not give me an insight into the > discrimination this person was facing - and I think s/he was right. From my > gender and my working experience I could know more than nothing, but not > enough. So while clearly no committee could have people with a wide range of > disabilities I think it's crucial that it should have some members with > disabilities. > > It's arrogant to think otherwise; and I think this may well be true of people > with learning disabilities as well. There are advocacy schemes which assist > people to put their points; just as a deaf person might need the support of an > interpreter ... > > Jenny Bryan Jones Equal Opportunities Adviser London Guildhall University Tel: 020 7320 1137