Join Disability Rights International (DRI) & United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) for this 2 part UN COSP side-event exploring international implications of recent developments in the United States and around the world.
Register Here: bit.ly/3H0Kr9x

Standing Up for Disability Inclusion & International Engagement in a Time of Adversity: 
A Global Response from the US Disability Community
Wednesday, June 11
Part 1: 11:30 am - 12:45 pm ET
Part 2: 12:45 - 1:45 pm ET
Zoom Webinar
Interpretation and ASL will be available

Speakers & Program:

Welcome: Isabel Hodge, US International Council on Disability (USICD)

Introduction: Eric Rosenthal, Disability Rights International (DRI)

PART 1: Current challenges and response from the US disability community

Interview by Peter Fremlin, Disability Debrief

1. Marcie Roth, Executive Director/CEO, World Institute on Disability
2. Maria Town, President & CEO, American Association of Persons with Disabilities
3. Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, Save the Children (Board) & Executive Director, Center for Independent Living, Berkeley, CA
4. Elham Youssefian, Director, Inclusion and Accessibility, International Refugee Assistance Project
5. Anne Hayes, Executive Director, Inclusive Development Partners
6. Diana Samarasan, Director of Strategic Advancement, Center for Public Representation

PART 2: The future role of US participation in disability rights & international engagement

1. Keynote: Gerard Quinn, former UN Special Rapporteur on Disability

Next steps: Open discussion moderated by Peter Fremlin

Conclusions: Eric Rosenthal, DRI

More Details:

Part 1 will be conducted as an interview by journalist Peter Fremlin, who will ask panelists about international implications of recent developments in the United States and around the world. The United States has long been a leader in innovative models of disability inclusion and financing for social development, yet long established practices are now being dismantled. Participants on this panel will describe how the US disability community is rising to the occasion, re-committing to core principles of disability leadership and inclusion, and working to ensure social development in a time of massive funding cuts. In a world in which US foreign assistance resources will be limited and international institutions are threatened, US disability activists are learning from and sharing lessons learned with peers abroad.

Gerard Quinn will offer a keynote presentation at 12:50pm ET to start Part 2, followed by a moderated discussion.

Co-sponsors:

The US International Council on Disabilities (USICD), Disability Rights International (DRI), World Institute on Disability, Berkeley Center for Independent Living, East Oregon Center for Independent Living