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July 10, 1969
Born in Munich on July 10, 1969.
2006
| Celebrating a life that opened public buildings to people with disabilities Posted: Monday, 5 May 2008, New York | Author: Nicola Shepherd and Dan Shepard Thomas Schindlmayr, the public face of DESA in the fight to adopt a new global Convention for Persons with Disabilities, died Saturday, 26 April of cancer. He was 38 years old. Thomas was a key player on the DESA team that worked to support the negotiations that led to the Convention’s adoption in 2006 and its eventual signing by 127 countries and the ratification by 24. The Convention entered into force on Saturday, 3 May. For Thomas, the fight for a disability convention was personal. Thomas was a wheelchair user due to a car accident when he was four. Yet far from bitter about his circumstances, Thomas was a dedicated international professional, working to explain the impact that inaccessible societies can have on the daily lives of persons with disabilities, and the importance of breaking down barriers, both actual physical barriers as well as societal barriers. A walk through UN Headquarters with Thomas revealed that basic mobility for a person in a wheelchair was no ordinary endeavor, and one that often relied on the use of freight elevators and obscure passageways to move about the building. To speak before an audience in Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, elaborate plans had to be made to enter from a 42nd Street entrance and even that would not allow him to speak from the stage. During the negotiations on the Convention, Thomas worked tirelessly to have Conference Room 4 made more accessible to persons with disabilities through the construction of a ramp to the podium and the removal of seats to accommodate wheelchairs. For the press conferences he gave in Room 226, a special ramp was built as a result of his efforts. First and foremost, Thomas was a professional, who also happened to have a disability. Therefore, while he understood that his own disability drew attention to the issue when he spoke on behalf of the UN’s work on disability issues, he never used it to evoke pity. True to the letter and spirit of the Convention, Thomas simply worked to be treated and respected on an equal basis with others. In his affable, amiable, and yet persistent style, he made his audiences entirely comfortable. Afterwards, people were left impressed with his professional knowledge and dedication, not with the fact that he had a disability. Thomas, born in Germany, lived in Australia and came to the UN in 2003. He is survived by his wife, Julia, mother, father, brother and sister. At the UN, he is missed already. A memorial service will be held for Thomas on 13 May from 1-2 p.m. at the Church Center. All are welcome. |
2006
UN Update: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Source: FPA Features
- Author: Pat Orvis
Was it cruel irony or just one more obstacle Thomas Schindlmayr had to face in realizing the dream he had worked so hard to achieve when he died of cancer at age 38 on Saturday, April 26th, one week to the day before the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities went into effect? The convention guarantees the rights of some 650 million worldwide who, like its champion Schindlmayr, live with a disability.
Almost single-handedly it seemed, the 38-year old lawyer who was born in Germany, lived in Australia and arrived at the U.N. in 2003, kept disability issues moving forward until the benchmark convention was first adopted by the General Assembly on Dec. 13, 2006.
The convention was opened for signature and ratification by the world body's 192 member countries on March 30, 2007, and by Saturday, May 3, had received the support of enough countries to enter into force.
This success and speed with which the convention was realized owes much credit to Schindlmayr. Each time disabilities issues made the U.N. agenda, the articulate skill with which he argued the practical reasons persons with disabilities should have the protection such a convention now offers was just too reasonable. As he once explained to this U.N. correspondent in an interview,
"We are seeking no new rights. We already have the same rights everyone else has. We just want to be able to use them along with everyone else."
For example, he said, "We have the right to vote, but if you're blind and can't take someone into the voting booth with you, then you can't exercise that right. You may have the right to freedom of movement, but if you can't enter a building with a wheelchair, you do not have freedom of movement."
A disabilities expert who had used a wheelchair for 34 years of his life following injuries in a car accident at age 4 he modestly identified himself in the op-ed pieces he wrote for the International Herald Tribune, Turkish Daily News, South China Morning Post and other international publications with: "Thomas Schindlmayr works for the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs on disability issues."
But he could also be blunt in criticizing fellow writers who missed the point -- as when this correspondent mistakenly wrote of Schindlmayr that, regardless of weather or season and the fact his wheelchair was the simple, old-fashioned kind that must be powered by hand, he, "Plunges right into rush hour traffic," wheeling his way "five blocks up First Avenue every morning to the United Nations at 42nd Street."
Seems it was more like 20 blocks to the U.N. from where he lived downtown, with some serious inclines to negotiate along the way.
Indeed, Schindlmayr would be annoyed it's taking so long here to get to the part about the convention's being not only the first new human rights treaty of the 21st Century but, in the words of New Zealand's former U.N. ambassador, Don MacKay, who chaired the drafting committee, it is also the "first international treaty that cuts across all populations," rather than focusing, say, on children, or indigenous peoples.
Since March 30, 2007, the treaty has been signed by 127 of the world body's 192 countries and ratified by 25. It needed to be ratified by only 20 countries before it could take effect.
Jamaica takes pride in being the first country to ratify the convention, while on April 3, Ecuador became the 20th, thus allowing the convention to enter into force.
A so-called "optional protocol," also took effect on May 3, allowing individuals and groups to petition for relief under the convention.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called the new global convention, "A powerful tool to eradicate the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities,"
"It is a historic moment," he said, "in our quest for realization of the universal human rights for all persons, creating a fully inclusive society for all."
Meantime, the headline in an in-house U.N. publication said it all for Schindlmayr's bereaved friends and former colleagues here:
"Celebrating a Life that Opened Public Buildings to People with Disabilities."
2008
2008
Thomas's Career summary
(written by Thomas)
My background focuses on socioeconomic concerns, particularly those related to developing countries and marginalised groups. I have qualifications in demography, business management, geography, economics and international law, as well as experience in research, formulating and analysing policies, and implementing projects.
Strengths
Research, analysis and proposal development
Ability to administer, organise and co-ordinate large-scale projects effectively
Communication, oral and written
Formulation and implementation of policies
Relevant international experience in development issues
Employment
2006 May -. Social Affairs Officer. Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations, New York, United States.
Devise and undertake media activities to disseminate information on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the final negotiation session, and the signature event in March 2007. Organise events for the International Day of Disabled Persons 2006. Assist in the logistics of conferences. Undertake research on disability and legal questions.
2005- October-April 2006. Associate Social Affairs officer. Global Programme on Disability. Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations, New York, United States.
Organised events associated with the International Day of Disabled Persons 2005. Developed guidelines for the logo and jingle competition. Devised a media strategy for the implementation of the convention.
2004 October-October 2005. Associate Social Affairs Officer. Generational Issues and Integration Section. Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations, New York, United States.
Provided research for Report on the World Social Situation 2005, focusing on intergenerational questions and social integration. Instigated and organised workshop attended by 12 participants on social integration on ‘Towards an inclusive society: Shaping the policy process’. Devised the concept of ‘inclusive policy processes’ and wrote discussion paper on the topic.
2003 February-October 2004. Associate Population Affairs Officer. Population Policy Section, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York, United States.
Monitored and analysed population policies for countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Central Europe and North America. Wrote chapters on international migration, population policies before 1974 and HIV/AIDS for publication.
2002 August-February 2003. Consultant. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations, Bangkok, Thailand.
Wrote the first draft of the theme study on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region for presentation at the 59th Commission Session.
July-September. Consultant. Australian Defence Organisation (ADO), Canberra, Australia.
Reviewed and revised personnel trends for FY 2001-2002 and wrote the report Defence Personnel Environment Scan: Occasional Paper 1. Report released May 2003.
2001 May-February 2003. Researcher. Health Transition Centre. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia.
Collaborated with Emeritus Prof. John C. Caldwell on such topics as AIDS in Africa, AIDS and family planning programmes, historical estimates of world population and the reasons for the Western fertility decline.
March. Facilitator. Regional Seminar on Population and Development, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea, New Caledonia.
2000 October-July 2001. Principal Researcher. Personnel Environment Scan 2020 Project. Australian Defence Organisation, Canberra, Australia.
The purpose of this study was to assess the demographic and economic environment affecting defence force personnel now and over the next twenty years. The report was devised as an initial step to developing a Defence Strategic Human Resource plan, becoming a key policy document for personnel planning.
April-October. Wildlife Officer. Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra, Australia.
Implemented the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act (1982) in relation to items seized at Australian points of entry. Performed financial and other administrative tasks, including the use of various databases.
1999 December–February 2003. Program visitor, Demography Program, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
1999 June-July. Wrote the community profiles for the Germany, Netherlands and Poland-born in Australia for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Using 1996 census data, I wrote a report on the current socioeconomic characteristics for each of the three community groups, as part of the ANU team that produced twenty such profiles. These reports were sold through Australian government bookstores.
1998 May-November. Administrator and research assistant, Asian Crisis Project, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/ Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
This work involved organising and facilitating conferences in Bangkok (Oct 98) and Jakarta (Jul 98) for members of a study group comprised of ANU academics, international consultants, as well as academics and government officials from four Southeast Asian states. Responsible for administering the project’s US$ 250,000 budget, as well as liasing with UNFPA New York, UNFPA representatives in Southeast Asia, Government bureaucrats, ANU management and members of the study team. Research activities focused on staying abreast of rapidly changing events primarily through internet searches. I was also responsible for the final editing of the report before submission to UNFPA, as well as writing the section on resource allocation. The report Southeast Asian Populations in Crisis was released in December 1998.
September - December. Consultant. Review of population and family planning activities funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Canberra, Australia.
With Prof. Penny Kane of the University of Melbourne, conducted a desk review of the projects sponsored by AusAID in the population field to monitor if they complied with AusAID’s checklist.
1997 Short-term consultancy work for CARE Australia and the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance, Canberra, Australia.
Wrote a brief report on emerging social concerns in the Asia-Pacific region and fact sheets related to population assistance and NGO involvement in the population field.
1995 July – October. Consultant to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), London, United Kingdom.
Worked as a researcher in the Arab World Region. Wrote and revised a number of country profiles.
1992 July – February 1995. Consultant to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, London, United Kingdom.
Worked as both a researcher and budget analyst in the Programme Department and later in the Arab World Region. Tasks included writing several publications for the Arab World region on the ICPD Programme of Action and resource allocation issues. Part of a team responsible for implementing a European Union sponsored project worth US$12 million to improve health and family planning facilities in Arab World nations.
1991 June – September. Siemens, Head Office, Munich, Germany.
Translated a computer handbook from German into English
1990 Sep – May 1991. IFF Research, Head Office, London, United Kingdom.
Worked as a marketer researcher on business-to business market research. Conducted telephone surveys on the views of certain products held by German businesses. Successfully completed numerous interviews on products ranging from computer hardware/software to photographic equipment.
1990 July – August. BMW, Head Office, Munich, Germany.
Translator and administrative tasks
Education
2003- LLB, University of London (external programme), United Kingdom
2002 Master of International Law, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2000 PhD in Demography, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Thesis entitled: The Nature, Trends and Determinants of Population Assistance.
1997 ASB (Hons) in Business Management, International Correspondence School, Scranton, USA.
1993 MSc in Demography, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, United Kingdom
1992 BA in Geography and Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, United Kingdom
1989 Diploma (First class) in European Union studies, Centre International de Formation Européene, Munich, Germany
1988 European Baccalaureate, European School Munich, Munich, Germany
Professional affiliations
Australian Institute of Management
Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law
Australian Development Studies Network
Australian Population Association
British Society for Population Studies
Other skills and interests
Use Word, Excel, Endnote and the Internet on a daily basis. Familiar with Access, PowerPoint, SAP and SPSS.
Fluent in German, rudimentary French.
Driver’s licences from four countries, including both left and right-hand drives.
Travelled extensively throughout Europe and Australia. Other destinations include: West Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Fiji, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Tunisia, Argentina, and the United States.
Publications
Articles
Schindlmayr, T. (2006) Reconsidering intergenerational concerns. International Journal of Social Welfare 15(2): 181-184.
Schindlmayr, T. (2004) Explicating Donor Trends for Population Assistance. Population Research and Policy Review 23(1): 23-54.
Caldwell, J.C. and Schindlmayr, T. (2004) Reply to the discussion of our paper ‘Explanations of the fertility crisis in modern societies: A search for commonalities’. Population Studies 58(1): 93-94.
Caldwell, J.C. and Schindlmayr, T. (2003) Explanations of the Fertility Crisis in Modern Societies: A Search for Commonalities. Population Studies 57(3): 241-263.
Schindlmayr, T. (2003) Sovereignty, Legal Regimes and International Migration. International Migration 41(2): 109-123.
Schindlmayr, T. and Ong, P. (2002) Defence’s Thirty Problem. HR Monthly November: 44-45.
Caldwell, J.C. and Schindlmayr, T. (2002) Historical Population Estimates: Unraveling the Consensus. Population and Development Review 28(2): 183-204.
Schindlmayr, T. and Ong, P. (2002) Attaining 54,000? Australian Defence Force Journal 153: 5-9.
Schindlmayr, T. (2002) Future Personnel: Where will they come from? Defense and Security Analysis 18(1): 85-88.
Schindlmayr, T. (2001) Obstructing the Security Council: The Use of the Veto in the Twentieth Century. Journal of the History of International Law 3(2): 218-234.
Schindlmayr, T. (2001) The Media, Public Opinion and Population Assistance: Establishing the Link. Family Planning Perspectives. 33(3): 128-132.
Schindlmayr, T. (2001) The Media, Public Opinion and Population Assistance: Establishing the Link. International Family Planning Perspectives. 26(1): 42-6.
Schindlmayr, T. (1999) Population Assistance Trends in the 1990s. Development Bulletin. (47): 24-6.
Books
Caldwell, J.C., Caldwell, B., Caldwell, P., McDonald, P.F., Schindlmayr, T. (2006) Demographic Transition Theory. Berlin: Springer Verlag. 418pp.
Schindlmayr, T. (2001) Defence Personnel Environment Scan 2020. Canberra: Defence Publishing Service. 130pp.
Schindlmayr, T. (2000) Community Profiles. 1996 Census. Germany Born. Belconnen: Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. 44pp.
Schindlmayr, T. (2000) Community Profiles. 1996 Census. Netherlands Born. Belconnen: Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. 45pp.
Schindlmayr, T. (2000) Community Profiles. 1996 Census. Poland Born. Belconnen: Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. 45pp.
Book chapters
Schindlmayr, T. (2007) Disability in Sport: The International Legal Framework. In: International Disability in Sport Working Group. Sport in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Boston: Northeastern University. pp. 8-9.
Government and NGO
Schindlmayr, T. (2003) Defence Personnel Environment Scan: Occasional Paper 1. Canberra: Defence Publishing Service. 14pp.
Australia. Department of Defence (2001) Defence Personnel Environment Scan 2020. Canberra: Defence Publishing Service. 4pp. (information brief)
Kane, P. and Schindlmayr, T. (1999) Review of AusAID Population and Family Planning Activities. (unpublished internal AusAID report). 32pp.
McMurray, C., Lucas, D. and Schindlmayr, T. (1998) Briefing Pack on Population and Development. Canberra: Australian Reproductive Alliance.
International Planned Parenthood Federation. Arab World Bureau. (1995) IPPF: Vision 2000, ICPD Programme of Action: A Comparison. Tunis: IPPF. 23pp. (published also in French and Arabic).
Various other publications for the Arab World Region of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (1992-95).
United Nations and other international organisations (authored and contributed)
Schindlmayr, T. Huber, R. and Zelenev, S. (2007) Inclusive Policy Processes. DESA Discussion Paper. (forthcoming).
United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Inter-Parliamentary Union (2007) From Exclusion to Equality: Realizing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Handbook for parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol. Geneva. (contributed)
United Nations Programme on Youth (2006) Briefing Note on Youth: Youth living with Disabilities. New York (authored)
United Nations. Division for Social Policy and Development (2005) Report on the World Social Situation 2005: The Inequality Predicament. New York: United Nations. (contributed)
United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division (2005) Population, Development and HIV/AIDS with Particular Emphasis on Poverty: The Concise Report. New York (authored Chapter 7 on Government views and policies)
United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division (2005) Population and HIV/AIDS Wallchart. New York. (contributed).
United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2004) World Economic and Social Survey 2004: International Migration. New York. (authored Chapter 3 on International migration policies, contributed to Chapter 6 on Social dimensions to international mobility)
United Nations. Population Division (2004) World Population Policies 2003. New York: United Nations. (contributed)
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (2003) HIV/AIDS in the Asian and Pacific Region: Integrating Economic and Social Concern, especially HIV/AIDS, in Meeting the Needs of the Region. New York: United Nations. 138pp. (authored first draft)
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (2001) Population and Development Planning in the Pacific. Noumea. 71pp. (facilitated)
United Nations Population Fund and the Australian National University (1998) Southeast Asian Populations in Crisis. New York: UNFPA. 148pp. (contributed)
Papers at International Conferences
Schindlmayr, T., Huber, B., Zelenev, S. (2006) Building an Inclusive Society: Shaping the Policy Process. International Forum on the Social Science-Policy Nexus. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 20-24 February.
Schindlmayr, T. (2005) Planning for a ‘Society for All’. International Conference on Engaging Communities. Brisbane, Australia. 14-17 August. Available at:
http://engagingcommunities2005.org/abstracts/Schindlmayr-%20Thomas-final.pdf
Newspapers and magazines
Schindlmayr, T. (2007) Time to change hearts, minds and laws on disability (op-ed.). Printed in: Accra Daily Mail (20 August), Deccan Herald (20 August), IHT/Asahi Shimbun (22 August), Iran News (21 August), New World (UNA-UK, October 2007), South China Morning Post (21 August), The Nation, Thailand (26 August), Turkish Daily News (23 August)
Schindlmayr, T. (2007) My battle with the Big C. New Mobility. 18(167): 23-6, 54.
Schindlmayr, T. (2006) We need a global treaty for the disabled (Op-ed). International Herald Tribune. 17 August. (syndicated in the Khaleej Times, 20 August, and the Deccan Herald, 21 August)
Dale, K. and Schindlmayr, T. (1991) Banjul Sewage. West Africa. 6-12 May. (3844): 701.
Other honours
Participant at the ACUNS-ASIL Summer Workshop, Ghent, Belgium, 24 July-3 August 2007.
Presenter at the Second Holocaust Remembrance Day, General Assembly, United Nations, New York, 29 January 2007
Reviewer
Studies in Family Planning
World Development
Journal of Population Research
April 26, 2008
Passed away on April 26, 2008.