I am a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Law (UiB). I have studied law and international relations in France and in the UK and hold a master’s in law with specialization in Children Rights. Before undertaking this PhD I have worked as a legal consultant and writer. My project focuses on autistic children’s rights to education in international and European law. The aim of the project is to critically analyze and reconceptualize the right to education of autistic children through the neurodiversity perspective and empirical inputs from the autistic community. The project builds on the legal theories and methodologies developed by critical legal studies and used in recent judgement rewriting projects.

The right to education is a fundamental children’s right, protected by several international texts, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN, 2006), the Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention of Human Rights (Council of Europe, 1952) and the Revised European Social Charter (Council of Europe, 1996). When combined, these texts provide for a right to availability and access to quality and inclusive education. However, with regards to autistic children, the right to education has given rise to many debates. One of the main issues this PhD project aims to address, is how to acknowledge and balance the tensions that might arise between (mainstream) inclusive education and quality rights-based education for autistic children. Another objective is to explore how the notion of neurodiversity and the emerging autistic identity can impact the interpretation of the right to education of autistic children in its different components.

Besides autistic children’s right to education, I am also interested in discussions related to children’s rights, neurodiversity, participatory research, and the interaction between law, society, and culture. Besides my PhD, I have recently published a book chapter on Children’s literature and autism and chaired a round table on Experts by experience in the field of child protection. I am looking forward to further collaborations and exchange on these topics and would also be availaible to supervise master students writing on related issues.

Poster

• Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2024). Poster presentation "The Question of Autism in (In)sanity and Risk Assessments in Norwegian Juvenile Criminal Justice". (external link)

Academic article

• Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2024). De-centring inclusion: Discussing the meaning and place of inclusive education in international and European law through the case of children with autism. (external link)
• Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2024). Redefining the Right to Quality Education for Autistic Children Through a Neurodiverse Perspective. (external link)
• Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2023). Redefining Inclusive Education for Autistic Children in International and European Law. (external link)

Academic literature review

• Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2023). Informing Conceptual Issues Related to Autistic Children’s Right to Education Through a Literature Review of Their Lived Experience. (external link)

Book review

• Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2023). Advanced Introduction to Children’s Rights, Gamze Erdem Türkelli and Wouter Vandenhole. (external link)

Lecture

• Schnurr, Stefan; Andersen, Vibeke Norman; Mollerup, Anna Helene et al. (2021). Young People as Experts by Experience: Participatory Research, Policy-, and Service Development. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Ducarre, Lucie Margot (2020). "French Children's Literature and Autism." In Baverstock A., Bradford R., Gonzalez M. (eds). Contemporary Publishing and the Culture of Books. Routledge.