Shadowing Practice: An Introduction to the CRPD and the Optional Protocol - Learn English Speaking with Video
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35 sentences
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Have you ever heard about the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?
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This convention, also called the CRPD, is an international agreement that promotes and protects human rights for persons with disabilities.
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Persons with disabilities were involved in the discussions when countries negotiated the CRPD at the United Nations.
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This was very important for the idea of nothing about us without us.
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According to the CRPD, all persons with disabilities have the right to be treated equally as everyone else.
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That includes making their own decisions, demanding their rights, and participating in society.
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The CRPD has 33 articles that talk about specific rights.
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For example, living independently, being part of the community,
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getting an education, working, voting and getting accessible information. To date,
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more than 160 countries have signed the CRPD and agreed to implement or follow all of the rights and freedoms in it.
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Canada did this in 2010.
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In 2018, Canada agreed to follow an additional part of the CRPD called the Optional Protocol.
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The Optional Protocol allows people with disabilities in Canada the opportunity
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to make a complaint to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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This committee is a group of independent experts that monitor how countries follow the CRPD.
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There are two kinds of complaints that can be made to this committee.
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One kind are complaints about the violation of an individual person's rights.
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And another kind are complaints about the violation of rights in a broader, more systemic way.
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The United Nations Committee can decide these complaints and make recommendations to help the Government of Canada implement and follow the CRPD.
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ARCH has worked closely with disability communities across
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Canada to advocate for governments to follow the CRPD.
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The optional protocol is an important tool that can help this advocacy.
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That's why we are excited to introduce a project called the OP Lab, Learning, Sharing, Actioning.
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Through the OP Lab, Arch and our partners want to help people with disabilities in Canada to understand the Optional Protocol,
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how it works, and how we can use it effectively and strategically.
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For example, who can make a complaint under the Optional Protocol and when?
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What kinds of decisions does the UN Committee make?
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How can the Optional Protocol be used to advance disability rights in Canada?
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The OP Lab offers a series of courses about the CRPD and the Optional Protocol.
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These courses will be facilitated by ARCH lawyers and our community partners.
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They will include presentations from guest speakers, discussions and learning exercises.
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Together we want to exchange ideas and come up with innovative solutions to advance disability rights in Canada.
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Participants in the OP Lab will join a Canada -wide network to advocate for implementation of CRPD rights.
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For more information and to apply for OP Lab, go to www .archdisabilitylaw .ca.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “An Introduction to the CRPD and the Optional Protocol”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Crpd, Canada, optional, disabilities, protocol. This video has 35 sentences and 471 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 106 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| disability noun | /dɪsəˈbɪlɪti/ | A condition characterised by a significant limitation in a person's physical or intellectual powers or ability. |
| protocol noun | /ˈpɹoʊtəˌkɑl/ | An amendment to an official treaty. |
| optional adjective | /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/ | Not compulsory; left to personal choice; elective. |
| complaint noun | /kəmˈpleɪnt/ | The act of complaining. |
| advocate noun | /ˈæd.və.kət/ | Someone whose job is to speak for someone's case in a court of law; a counsel. |
| implement verb | /ˈɪmpləmənt/ | To bring about; to put into practice; to carry out. |
| violation noun | /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/ | An infraction or a failure to follow a rule. |
| participate verb | /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ | To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something). |
| equally adverb | /ˈiːkwəli/ | In an equal manner; in equal shares or proportion; with equal and impartial justice; evenly |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| monitor noun | /ˈmɑ.nɪ.tɚ/ | Someone who watches over something; a person in charge of something or someone. |
| implementation noun | /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/ | The process of moving an idea from concept to reality. In business, engineering and other fields, implementation refers to the building process rather than the… |
| presentation noun | /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/ | The act of presenting, or something presented. |
| accessible adjective | /əkˈsɛs.ɪ.bəl/ | Easy of access or approach. |
| innovative adjective | /ˈɪn.əˌveɪtɪv/ | Characterized by the creation of new ideas or inventions. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were involved · be treated · can be made |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever heard · have signed · has worked |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: optional /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/, violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, implementation /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: disability /dɪsəˈbɪlɪti/, violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, implementation /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/, accessible /əkˈsɛs.ɪ.bəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like disability, protocol, optional.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.