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Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments |
What's New at GAATES
2009 Archive
GAATES Present at UN Second Session of States Parties in New York
September 15, 2009
UN General Assembly site of the Second Session of States Parties - CRPD
Betty Dion, GAATES President and Andres Balcazar, GAATES board member and a member of the Mexican National Council for Persons with Disability, conducted a side event presentation during the UN Second Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The side event was held at the UN General Assembly with representatives from about 100 countries who had signed, ratified or planned to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Those attending included government bureaucrats, ministers, legal authorities and organizations representing civil society.
The presentation was on Universal Design Of The Built Environment: Implementing And Monitoring The UN Convention. The presentation highlighted the principles of universal design related to implementing and monitoring an Accessibility Framework for compliance with the CRPD. It was well attended by an interesting mix of people from Sudan, Philippines, Jordan, Namibia, Mexico, and human rights organizations. Information was available in a variety of formats and sign interpreters were present.
ENAT and GAATES Memorandum of Understanding
The European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) and GAATES are very pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
The European Network on Accessible Tourism (ENAT) is a philanthropic association under Belgian law, created for an unlimited period with the aim of promoting accessible tourism on a non-profit-making basis. The purpose of ENAT is to further the development of accessible tourism, as a means to greater social inclusion, at an international level. Its objectives are: to coordinate actions in support of the tourism activities of its members; to inform them on any subject relating to accessible tourism, in terms of its technical, economic, social, legal and cultural aspects; and to disseminate information concerning accessible tourism to the wider community.
ENAT President, Lilian Müller and GAATES President, Betty Dion will formally confirm the MoU at the ENAT International Congress in Vienna on 1st October 2009.
More information on the memorandum of understanding can be found on the "What's New: Co-operative agreements".
More information on European Network on Accessible Tourism can be found at the ENAT Web site
GAATES to Present at the 2nd ENAT International Congress:
"Trends and Prospects for Accessible Tourism"
September 30 and October 1 in Vienna, Austria.
The main theme of this year's ENAT congress is Looking to the Future: highlighting new trends and developments, weighing new challenges and prospects, exploring opportunities, and stimulating new efforts in accessible tourism for all.
Betty Dion, GAATES President, will be part of a Round table panel on: "Accessible Tourism - What has to be done next", and Mukhtar Al Shibani, GAATES Vice President will be conducting a short session on "Accessible Tourism in the Middle East"
GAATES AGM
The GAATES Annual General Meeting will be held November 18 and 19, 2009 in Ottawa, ON, CANADA. People are invited to participate electronically if they are unable to attend in person.
Collaborative Agreement with DPI signed
GAATES is very pleased to announce the signing of a Collaborative Agreement between Disabled Peoples International (DPI) and GAATES
Betty Dion and Mukhtar AlShibani at DPI in Seoul Korea
Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) is THE voice of people with disabilities worldwide. They represent a network of national organizations or assemblies of disabled people, established to promote human rights of disabled people through full participation, equalization of opportunity and development.
GAATES and DPI are both dedicated to ensuring the inclusion of people with disabilities, and the promotion of accessibility of the built, social and virtual environments, so that people with disabilities and older persons are able to fully participate and contribute to society.
DPI and GAATES have signed a collaborative agreement to work together to support each other's objectives and mission to improve the social, economic and cultural participation of people with disabilities by building a society accessible for all.
In viewing of the shared vision of DPI's mission and GAATES' mission, the entities sign this memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the following respects:
- The promotion, dissemination of understanding and implementation of the UN Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.
- The promotion and implementation of accessibility as part of the building, adaptation, and re-construction of sustainable built social and virtual environments.
- The promotion and implementation of accessibility as an integral part of sustainable development.
- The transfer of knowledge and capacity-building through jointly presented workshops and training programs.
- The promotion of effective communication through the provision of alternative formats, telecommunications and electronic information and communication technology products.
GAATES attends the UN Event for the International Day of Disabled Persons
Stevie Wonder and Ban Ki Moon
Ban ki-Moon, Secretary General of the UN and Stevie Wonder celebrated the International Day of Disabled Persons in New York.
The event held in the General Assembly was interrupted by a series of fire alarms which necessitated that people evacuate. No one was hurt and it served as a "high profile" learning experience and an opportunity to improve communications and fire evacuation procedures. There was lots of media coverage.
Secretary Ban also announced that Stevie Wonder, the singer-songwriter, had been appointed as one of the organization's eleven Messengers of Peace.
His mission will be to champion the rights of disabled people.
GAATES Award of Recognition Presented to Mr. Mohammed Al-Tarawneh
Mr. Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, Chair of the UN Committee responsible for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, proudly holding the GAATES Award of Recognition.
As a specially invited guest of GAATES, Mr. Tarawneh kindly agreed to attend the European Network on Accessible Tourism Conference in Vienna, Austria, October 1, 2009, where he was presented with the GAATES Award of Recognition.
The GAATES Award of Recognition was presented to Mr. Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, Chair of the UN Committee responsible for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in order to congratulate him and in recognition of his valuable contribution as Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Convention.
Mr. Tarawneh spoke briefly on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability, and in particular about accessibility and the potential impact of the Convention on worldwide accessible tourism.
View the short YouTube video featuring Mr. Al-Taranweh and other ENAT Members, recorded at the recent ENAT Congress in Vienna.
GAATES at the 9th Forum of the Gulf Disability Society
Posted: June 3, 2009
GAATES speakers and friends attending the 9th Forum of the Gulf Disability Society: front row, seated - Aqeel Quereshi; standing - left to right - Linda Snider, Dr. Harold W. Snider, Betty Dion, Mukhtar Al Shibani, Chuck Letourneau and Abdul Khadar
GAATES was honoured recently to be invited by the Gulf Disability Society to present keynote lectures and workshops at their 9th Forum: “Technical Assistance for People with Disabilities: Road to the Future”. The Forum took place in Doha, Qatar, May 12-14, 2009. It was hosted locally by the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs.
GAATES president Betty Dion, Vice-president Mukhtar Al Shibani, Dr. Harold W. Snider, Aqeel Quereshi and Chuck Letourneau spoke on a wide range of topics related to disability issues and assistive technology. Outlines of these lectures and workshops are posted elsewhere on this site.
The Forum brought together researchers, practitioners, service providers, assistive technology developers and vendors from all over the Gulf Region. As is expected at such events, networking amongst Forum attendees was just as important as the formal presentations. With growing interest in disability issues fostered by the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, events like the 9th Forum that promote the sharing of best practices and new ideas will significantly help governments better serve people with disabilities.
GAATES offers sincere thanks to the Gulf Disability Society and the Shafallah Center for the wonderful opportunity to participate in this event.
- C. Letourneau -Other Archives: