Rosemary Kayess

Rosemary Kayess (born 1963) is an Australian human rights lawyer, disability rights activist, researcher and academic. She is a senior research fellow at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Law and the chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, having contributed to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2004. Kayess has also been the director of several non-governmental organizations throughout her career, advocating for disability rights and the implementation of the UN convention in Australia and abroad. She was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in 2019 for her contributions to human rights in Australia.

Early life and education Kayess graduated from UNSW with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in 1994 and a Bachelor of Laws in 2004. She subsequently earned an Associate Diploma of Management (Community Organisations) and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the College of Law.

Accident At the age of 20, Kayess sustained a spinal injury in a car accident, which brought about her disability and led to her to become a disability rights activist. In an interview with Floyd Alexander-Hunt, Kayess said she became interested in disability policy because it was what she “understood and could relate to”. She also said that having a disability kept her on a “less traditional academic path” because of physical access and flexibility. After drafting the Convention, Kayess advocated for its ratification in Australia at workshops and human rights forums. The convention was ultimately ratified in 2008 by the government of Kevin Rudd.

Later career

In January 2018, Kayess became the interim director at the Disability Innovation Institute at the University of New South Wales.

In 2018, Kayess became the first Australian woman to be elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

Personal life Kayess enjoys listening to music outside of work and has described herself as “a tragic for indie pop”.