Clarence Sundram, an internationally recognized expert on conditions in institutions and community programs for persons with mental disabilities, will discuss the conditions under which persons with mental and physical disabilities are detained in facilities in various countries, oftentimes for lengthy periods.

Sundram served as the founding Chairman of the NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled.  He was appointed as the Special Master by the U.S. District Courts to represent clients with mental disabilities in class action lawsuits in Maine and Washington, DC .  
In 2010, he was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as the Special Advisor on Vulnerable Persons.