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A world where people with disabilities are fully included
Posted in: Melwood News
Melwood CEO Janice Frey-Angel recently spoke at an international conference on disabilities and this is her recap of that experience.
I had the privilege of being asked to present a paper and participate in a panel on employability at an international conference on disabilities in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week. The conference was hosted by AVAPE a long time partner with Melwood..
There were representatives of governments, NGOs, the United Nations, people from academia and foundations, people from Chile, Korea, Portugal, and from all over the globe. Dignitaries representing different cultures, ethnic groups, speaking all different languages, a myriad of life experiences and ways of life all attended. It was truly a visual, auditory and sensory mixture of diversity and differences.
What was so striking to me and powerful was the unity amongst us all in our work and the passion and caring the participants have for people with disabilities. This passion brought us together and it was binding force despite all of the differences among the various group members.
Disabilities are universal; there is not a country, an ethnic group, a socio-economic strata, gender, or age that is not impacted by disabilities. No matter what country or circumstance, we all share in the fight against prejudice and barriers to inclusion and access for employment, transportation, housing.
The strength in numbers in the room last week along with the focused determination to make the world accessible at all levels for people of all abilities was one of the most powerful experiences I have had. I will take that passion with me into every decision and venture going forward to reach Melwood’s vision of a world where people with disabilities are fully included.