The Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities Holds Its First Forum
October 2, 2012
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| Dr. Barbara LeRoy and Dr. Jean Johnson |
The Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities held its first forum in New York City September 14-15, 2012 at the UNICEF House. More than 250 people attended from countries throughout the world. In addition to panel discussions and country level networking sessions, a reception was held in which several UN ambassadors and Dr. Tim Schiver from Special Olympics spoke on behalf of the work of UNICEF. Dr. Barbara LeRoy, Director of the Developmental Disabilities Institute at Wayne State University in Michigan and Dr. Jean Johnson, Associate Director, and Ms. Charmaine Crockett, Director of Special Events at the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii, received invitations to participate in this international forum. The international partners came together to discuss and raise awareness on issues facing children with disabilities in emerging economies. Three follow-up Task Force groups were established to work on identified areas of need. Dr. LeRoy, Dr. Johnson, and Ms. Crockett will be participating in the Task Force groups over the next year.
Prior to this meeting, the 5th Conference of States Parties of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was held at the United Nations Building on September 12-14, 2012. The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is one of the NGO members of this Conference. Attending for the AUCD were Dr. Johnson, Ms. Crockett, and Dr. Robert Johnson.
