Overview
Background
Professor Paul Harpur OAM (introductory video) aims to create a world which is more inclusive for all. He advances his vision through advancing human rights and helping universities become disability champions of change. Professor Harpur is an nationally and internationally acclaimed legal scholar, advocate and director. He is currently Affiliated with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, and an International Distinguished Fellow with the Burton Blatt Institute, College of Law, Syracuse University, New York.
He is a former Fulbrighter, having been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Future Scholarship entitled "Universally Designed for Whom? Disability, the Law and Practice of Expanding the "Normal User".
In2021 Professor Harpur was awarded a 4 year Future Fellowship, commencing in 2022, with the Australian Research Council entitled “Normalizing Ability Diversity through Career Transitions: Disability at Work”. Professor Harpur is using his Future Fellowship to support the higher education sector to become champions of disability inclusion.
Professor Harpur is involved in higher education reforms, including serving during 2023 on the Federal Education Minister's Universities Accord Ministerial Reference Group. He also serves on the Higher Education Standards Panel (HESP), which is a statutory body under Part 9 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (Cth). The HESP is charged to advise and make recommendations to the Minister and to the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) on the Higher Education Standards Framework and to TEQSA on matters including TEQSA’ strategic objectives, corporate plan, performance against that plan, regulatory and reform agenda. From 2024 Professor Harpur serves on the Advisory Board for the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success, formerly the National Center for Student Equity in Higher Education.
Professor Harpur is also an ambassador for the Australian Human Rights IncludeAbility Network. This network has major Australian employers who are actively seeking to champion disability inclusion. With the support of Vice-Chancellor Debbie Terry and Deputy Provost Pauline Ford the university continues as the first founding member from the higher education sector. IncludeAbility is an initiative of the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) developed to increase meaningful employment opportunities for people with disability, and to close the gap in workforce participation between people with disability and people without disability.
In 2019 he was named a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Professor Harpur chairs the UQ Disability Inclusion Group, which supports the university in its implementation of the UQ Disability Action Plan. He also sits on the Academic Board, the University Senate's sub-committee focusing on inclusion, and on the Senate Committee for Equity Diversity and Inclusion.
Professor Harpur has published monographs with Cambridge University Press. 'His monograph, Discrimination, Copyright and Equality: Opening the E-Book for the Print Disabled (2017), analyses the interaction between anti-discrimination and copyright laws, and his Ableism at Work, Disablement and Hierarchies of Impairment 2019, analyses disability inequalities
at work in several jurisdictions. Professor Harpur has also led a range of projects, including an International Labour Organization project assessing labour rights in the South Pacific, including a particular focus on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Professor Harpur is a TEDx Speaker, ‘Universities as Disability Champions of Change’, and has given numerous keynotes and speeches, including addressing the International Labour Organization in
Geneva.
Outside the law, Professor Harpur has been a professional athlete with a disability, competing in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Paralympics, the 2002 Manchester and 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and a range of other World Titles and international competitions.
In the 2024 Australia Day Honours, Professor Harpur was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia by the Governor General of Australia (OAM). The citation for his OAM is “for service to people with disability”.
Professor Harpur is the 2022 Blind Australian of the Year.The Blind Australian of the Year Award recognises and celebrates “Blind Australians, who by example- inspire others to excellence, by action, improve Australian life.”
He received the 2021 BEL Employee Excellence Award in Research for excellence in Cross-Faculty Research.
The UQ Disability Inclusion Group, which he chairs, was recognised as Champions for Change in recognition of the tireless work they do to improve inclusion and access to higher education” by the Nationa
l Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education& Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia.
In the Australian HR Awards, Excellence Awardees 2021, the University of Queensland was awarded the “BEST Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Program”.Dr Harpur is part of this large team including, Al Jury, Provost Professor Aidan Byrne, Angie Sturrock, Professor DVCR Bronwyn Harch (FTSE, FAQ), Caitlin Bennett, Celina Campas, Dr Deanne (Dee) Gibbon CSC OAM, Vice Chancellor Professor Debbie Terry, Dr Dino Willox, Elodie Tischer, Jordan Akhurst, Kriti Garg, Monika Andersen, Neena Mitter, Nicole Barton, Rob Moffatt, Tanya Lutvey, and Taylor Bamin.
The University of Queensland 2019 Excellence Award, received the Community, diversity and inclusion Award, for the team, the University of Queensland Disability Inclusion Group, chaired by Professor Harpur:
“Formed in 2017, UQ's Disability Inclusion Group (DIG) provides outstanding leadership and advocacy for students/staff with disability. The Group has delivered numerous programs and actions to dismantle physical, technological and cultural barriers impacting students and staff with disability, to enable full access to UQ life. The DIG is a unique operating model within Higher Education, in that it brings stakeholders, staff and students with disability together in a cohesive way, to champion and progress disability inclusion outcomes. The Disability Action Plan developed by DIG members in 2018 is considered 'industry leading', and is receiving considerable external interest. The DIG works across a range of area in support of inclusion, including law, academia, information technology, student and staff support, governance, property and facilities and library services.”
The University of Queensland 2019 Excellence Award, received commendation in the Community, diversity and inclusion category as an individual:
“Dr Harpur has been championing the rights of persons with disabilities from the age of 14, when a train accident caused him to become blind. The problems he had in accessing print textbooks inspired a research and advocacy agenda that has resulted in a substantial body of scholarship in Australia and internationally, and a drive to transform how UQ provides access to its students and community. His work has led to the formation of a UQ-wide body monitoring and coordinating disability inclusion, which he now chairs, and progress in how various other groups across the University manage disability digital inclusion.”
Professor Harpur was recognised to receive a 2019 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, as part of the Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) program.Professor Harpur’s citation is“for outstanding leadership in translating disability strategy into a vision of ability equality and core university business.”.
of Queensland for the 2019 Australian Awards for University Teaching. These Universities Australia awards celebrate and reward excellence in university teaching.
Professor Harpur is often in the media and engaged with public discourse. See for example the Federal Education Minister, the Hon Jason Clare speaking on the life of Professor Harpur during the Minister’s speech at the Australian Parliament House at the Australian-American Fulbright Commission Gala Presentation Dinner 2022.
Professor Harpur's publications and speeches can be found on his Google Scholar page. Further information can be found on his Linkedin page.
Availability
- Professor Paul Harpur is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Law, Queensland University of Technology
- Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Queensland University of Technology
- Masters (Coursework) of Law, Queensland University of Technology
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
Research interests
-
International and Comparative Disability Law
I have 4 major projects extending over the next few years around the topics of: 1. Ablism at Work and Hierarchies of Impairments 2. The Relevance of International Disability Human Rights Laws to the Developing World 3. Universally Designed for Whom? Disability, the Law and Practice of Expanding the “Normal” User 4. Equality and Disability Assistance Animals
-
Labour and Work Health and Safety Laws
Works
Search Professor Paul Harpur’s works on UQ eSpace
2020
Journal Article
Companion animals and health in older populations: a systematic review
Hughes, Michael J., Verreynne, Martie-Louise, Harpur, Paul and Pachana, Nancy A. (2020). Companion animals and health in older populations: a systematic review. Clinical Gerontologist, 43 (4), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2019.1650863
2020
Other Outputs
COVID-19 in Australia: protecting public health by restricting rights and risking the rule of law
Harpur, Paul (2020, 05 14). COVID-19 in Australia: protecting public health by restricting rights and risking the rule of law Bill of Health
2020
Journal Article
Review of - The Cambridge Handbook of US Labor Law for the Twenty-First Century
Harpur, Paul (2020). Review of - The Cambridge Handbook of US Labor Law for the Twenty-First Century. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 73 (5), 1259-1260. doi: 10.1177/0019793920921147
2020
Journal Article
Australia - Report
Harpur, Paul (2020). Australia - Report. International Committee Newsletter (Special COVID-19 Issue)
2020
Conference Publication
Nothing about us unless it is led by us: realising a vision for ability equality in the academy
Dunne, Tim and Harpur, Paul (2020). Nothing about us unless it is led by us: realising a vision for ability equality in the academy. Australian perspectives on disability and social inclusion: Australia as a compassionate and just society workshop, Harvard Law School, 25 February, 2020.
2020
Book Chapter
Books and people with print disabilities: Public value and the international disability human rights agenda
Adair, David and Harpur, Paul (2020). Books and people with print disabilities: Public value and the international disability human rights agenda. The Routledge Companion to Disability and Media. (pp. 400-410) edited by Katie Ellis, Gerard Goggin, Beth Haller and Rosemary Curtis. New York, NY, United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315716008
2020
Conference Publication
The Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability: progress update
Harpur, Paul (2020). The Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability: progress update. Australian perspectives on disability and social inclusion: Australia as a compassionate and just society workshop, Harvard Law School, 25 February, 2020.
2019
Book
Ableism at work: Disablement and hierarchies of impairment
Harpur, Paul David (2019). Ableism at work: Disablement and hierarchies of impairment. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108667371
2019
Book
Mapping and regulating the challenges confronting workers with disabilities that travel for work
Harpur, Paul, Pegg, Shane and Karl, Marion (2019). Mapping and regulating the challenges confronting workers with disabilities that travel for work. University of Queensland.
2019
Journal Article
The impact of disability-assistance animals on the psychological health of workplaces: a systematic review
Hunter, Caitlin, Verreynne, Martie-Louise, Pachana, Nancy and Harpur, Paul (2019). The impact of disability-assistance animals on the psychological health of workplaces: a systematic review. Human Resource Management Review, 29 (3), 400-417. doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2018.07.007
2019
Other Outputs
'I could not imagine life without a dog'
Harpur, Paul (2019, 06 14). 'I could not imagine life without a dog' insight (SBS)
2019
Book Chapter
Children with disabilities, human rights, and sustainable development
Harpur, Paul and Stein, Michael Ashley (2019). Children with disabilities, human rights, and sustainable development. Children’s rights and sustainable development: interpreting the UNCRC for Future Generations. (pp. 139-164) edited by Claire Fenton-Glynn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108140348.007
2019
Journal Article
The CRPD Committee and Intellectual Disabilities at Work
Harpur, Paul (2019). The CRPD Committee and Intellectual Disabilities at Work. Global Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 5 (5). doi: 10.19080/gjidd.2019.05.555674
2019
Conference Publication
Public attitudes and stigma affecting our right to live in the world
Harpur, Paul (2019). Public attitudes and stigma affecting our right to live in the world. Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland, 28-29 March 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
The vision of ability equality becoming the reality at a disability courageous university
Harpur, Paul (2019). The vision of ability equality becoming the reality at a disability courageous university. Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland, 28-29 March 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Workers with Disabilities Working in the Global Gig Economy: Formulating Policy Responses in Short-Term Work Contracts which Stretch Across Jurisdictions
Harpur, Paul (2019). Workers with Disabilities Working in the Global Gig Economy: Formulating Policy Responses in Short-Term Work Contracts which Stretch Across Jurisdictions. Making the Future of Work inclusive of persons with disabilities Workshop, Geneva, Switzerland, 21-22 November 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
eBook accessibility and copyright: inclusive purchasing and update on the Marrakesh Treaty for libraries
Harpur, Paul, Schindler, Pam and Joyce, Tom (2019). eBook accessibility and copyright: inclusive purchasing and update on the Marrakesh Treaty for libraries. QULOC Webinar, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 17 July.
2019
Conference Publication
From an Informational Apartheid to Reading Equality: when Textbooks become E-Books
Harpur, Paul (2019). From an Informational Apartheid to Reading Equality: when Textbooks become E-Books. eTextbooks: creative learning tool or artefact? Teaching and Learning Week 2019, University of Queensland Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, 31 October, 2019.
2018
Other Outputs
A history of the Fulbright Scholar at the TC Beirne School of Law
Harpur, Paul (2018). A history of the Fulbright Scholar at the TC Beirne School of Law. TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland.
2018
Other Outputs
The licensing of temporary agency work arrangements: Australian labour hire licensing acts and the regulation of on-hire and gig work
Harpur, Paul (2018, 07 01). The licensing of temporary agency work arrangements: Australian labour hire licensing acts and the regulation of on-hire and gig work American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law International Committee Newsletter
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Paul Harpur is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Proposed PhD - Disability within the judiciary: An analysis of the barriers for lawyers with visual disabilities to be appointed to the judicial branch of government in New Zealand and Australia.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Graeme Orr
-
Doctor Philosophy
Normalising Ability Diversity through Career Transitions: Disability at Work
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kathy Ellem
-
Doctor Philosophy
Language rights and minority language publishing in Australia.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Samantha Disbray, Associate Professor Pradip Thomas
-
Doctor Philosophy
Two steps forward, one step back - the benefits and challenges of service dogs
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martie-Louise Verreynne, Professor Nancy Pachana
Completed supervision
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
The right choice? An interpretive policy analysis of assistive technology in Australian disability services
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Francesca Bartlett
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Assistance Dog Ownership for Older Adults: Exploring the Benefits and Barriers to Acquisition, Potential Aged Care Policy Reforms, and Planning for the Future
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nancy Pachana
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
A right to breastfeed at work? A feminist human rights account of the legal entitlement to breastfeed in the Australian workplace.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Francesca Bartlett
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Paul Harpur directly for media enquiries about:
- Anti-discrimination
- Assistance animals
- copyright law
- Corporate law
- corporate social responsibility
- digital equality and rights to access information
- Disability discrimination
- Disability law and policy
- employment law
- Human rights law
- industrial relations
- international human and civil rights
- Labour law
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- work health and safety laws
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: