Rehabilitation International (RI) is a global network of experts, professionals and advocates working together to empower persons with disabilities and provide sustainable solutions for a more inclusive and accessible society. Founded in 1922, RI has been a key player in the disability field and developed the International Symbol of Access -- which has now become the most widely recognized symbol for disability worldwide.
RECENT NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
RI Secretary General Venus Ilagan chairs the panel of experts for the Dec 3, 2009 International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the UN, sponsored by the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
CLIMATE CHANGE STATEMENTS:
Press Release on the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Climate Change and Disaster Management Planning (Document)
Resolution on Climate Change and Consequences for People with Disabilities, adopted November 9, 2009 (Document)
RI FOUNDATION :
RI Foundation Chair, Honorable Luis Gallegos, Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States, receives an award from the Office of the Mayor of the District of Colombia and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Washington, DC for his activism, defense and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities.
UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (CRPD) UPDATES:
- Albania signed the Convention on December 12, 2009
- Bolivia ratified the Convention on November 16, 2009
- Bolivia acceded to the Optional Protocol on November 16, 2009
- The United Republic of Tanzania acceded to the Optional Protocol on November 10, 2009
To date, there are:
- 144 signatories to the Convention
- 87 signatories to the Optional Protocol
- 76 ratifications of the Convention
- 48 ratifications of the Optional Protocol
For more information visit: http://www.un.org/disabilities/
IT'S ABOUT ABILITY: The Learning Guide on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Victor Pineda Foundation and UNICEF have cooperated to publish a learning guide on the CRPD. It is designed to empower and enrich children and young people aged 12-18 to speak out on the CRPD. Electronic copies (in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, and other languages) of the child friendly version of the CRPD and the learning guide can be found at the Victor Pineda Foundation’s Its About Ability Library http://tr.im/yQQy.
Events, News and Information
Jan 27, 2010 Post-Earthquake Situation in Haiti: Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Press Release
MDG's For All: A op-ed on “Making the MDGs (UN Millennium Development Goals) inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world” by Kamal Lamichhane
(NEPAL) Article about the CRPD implementation by Kamal Lamichhane
January 2010 Newsletter: "Accessible Transportation Around the World"
Excerpts from Rights Based CBR Guidelines-Publication of CBR NETWORK (South Asia)
“Mental Power Prague Film Festival” - June 3 - 5, 2010, at the Palace Theatre in Prague, the Czech Republic. An international film festival of (non)actors with a mental or combined disability. (For more information)
Second CBR Continental Congress March 3-5, 2010: Mexico
(English) (Español )
Rehabilitation International: Nordic Helsinki Seminar: March 18, 2009 -- Economical Recession: Challenges on vocational rehabilitation and well-being at work (information)
Rehabilitation Foundation Finland Helsinki Seminar: March 19, 2009 --
Physical Functioning, Activity and participation (information)
The South Asian CBR Network, 5th conference. March 28 - 30, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan
June 2010: Hong Kong, China
12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010)
European Conference on Rehabilitation Copenhagen, November 9-10, 2010 ”The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Rehabilitation in Europe: – Effects on Individuals and Rehabilitation Management” For More Information
8th International Abilympics Seoul 2011 Date : Sep. 25 - 30, 2011
Venue : Seoul Olympic Park, Korea
September-October 2012 (tentative): Seoul, Korea
RI 22nd World Congress, RI Assembly, and RI Executive Committee Meeting, in collaboration with the Korean Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (KSRPD)