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On behalf of the Board and staff of the U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD), our deepest thanks for your support, which really helped to make 2016 a strong year of pathways forward, as USICD continues its advocacy work on behalf of the global disability community.
Because of support from friends and allies in the movement like you, USICD's international reach and collaboration with other disability peoples' organizations and civil society continues to grow. As an example of our global impact in 2016, we just completed a project in Myanmar in which USICD supported the building of a national, cross-disability federation of persons with disabilities and their organizations, in order to build the advocates' collective voice calling for implementation of the CRPD and implementing a society of access and inclusion for Myanmar's disability community. But more importantly this past year, we have worked directly with people just like us-- people with disabilities from other countries who want to learn about the history of U.S. disability laws, how to improve inclusion of people with disabilities in civil society and how to eliminate stigma and discrimination in their respective countries.
In the U.S., this past year USICD also continued advocating for permanent disability offices with leaders in both the U.S. Department of State and USAID, so that their mission, vision and values are always inclusive of all people with all disabilities here and abroad.
And right here in our Washington, D.C., headquarters, we hosted an impressive cohort of summer interns whose participation was made possible by your support and a generous grant from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). Particularly noteworthy... many of our interns from previous years are now employed full-time and attribute much of their success to their international development experience in Washington, D.C., made possible by this USICD intern program.
As we embark on a new year, to include strategic thinking to always ensure USICD is delivering much-needed programs and services to the disability community globally and engaging our members in these efforts, we welcome your input and ideas, and continue to value your friendship and support. Please don't hesitate to contact us.
Before the end of this month, we sincerely hope you will consider USICD in your philanthropy -- a gift of any size is so greatly appreciated and will help us continue our important mission.
Thank You & Happy Holidays!
USICD Board & Staff
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| USICD Celebrates International Day of Persons with Disabilities with its 3rd Annual Gala Reception! |
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| USICD Board Members & Staff with
Senator Bob Dole & Honorees |
USICD celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities at our third annual Gala on 1 December at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Over 180 attendees watched as Senator Bob Dole presented the Dole-Harkin award to two Congressional leaders who have proved time and time again that they are significant disability rights advocates: Senator Al Franken and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. USICD's International Advocate Award recipient, Silvia Quan, a leader in Guatemala and globally, delivered passionate remarks to the audience.
USICD is profoundly grateful to the 2016 USICD Gala sponsors for their support and endorsement of USICD programming and global priorities. We are already working on dates and location for the 2017 USICD Gala and will disseminate a "Save the Date" notice in early 2017!
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| USICD's Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs Internship Program Will Close for Applications on January 10, 2017! |
The summer 2017 Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs internship program will close for applications on January 10, 2017. Students will note that this deadline may occur during their winter break. USICD's internship program focuses on U.S. citizen youth with disabilities from across the country who intend to pursue careers in international development or foreign affairs.  The summer 2017 internship program will bring a group of talented U.S. citizen graduate students, recent graduates, and rising juniors and seniors with disabilities to Washington, D.C., for nine weeks. This will include a one-week training and orientation program followed by an eight-week internship at an international organization in the Washington, D.C., area. USICD will cover the cost of accessible housing during the program, reimburse travel expenses to and from D.C., and provide a limited stipend.
Youth up to age 30 (or in some cases, up to age 35) are eligible to apply. We welcome wide diversity in all types of disabilities or chronic health conditions and have no restrictions on which diagnostic labels "qualify" as a disability. We welcome diversity in race, ethnicity, genders and sexuality, religion, socio-economic class, and other identities. To learn more about the Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs internship program, eligibility criteria, anticipated dates, the application process, what interns can expect if accepted into the program, and more, please visit http://usicd.org/template/page.cfm?id=257. Applicants are encouraged to read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. |
| USICD Joins Endorsement of Global Call to Action for Disability Inclusion | |
USICD has joined various other international organizations in endorsing a global call for all agencies planning and implementing international development and humanitarian projects to be more inclusive of people with disabilities in everything they do.
The coalition of organizations behind the call to action  acknowledge there has been significant progress, in part due to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the inclusion of people with disabilities in some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But they also note that people with disabilities are still being excluded from many significant initiatives meant to reduce poverty levels, improve education access for all children, or provide humanitarian relief around the world.
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| Here's Why Disability Rights Must be at the Forefront of the Human Rights Movement |  The author, and USICD Board Member, Janet Lord, has served as a consultant on some of USICD's projects abroad, including its cross-disability coalition building work in Myanmar. She also is a board member of Amnesty International USA and a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School Project on Disability. |
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Learning Disability Advocacy through Engaging U.S. Senate Campaigns, by USICD Intern Chris Damon
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Simply put, I could not have picked a more momentous time to rejoin USICD's staff as a full-time intern.
I had worked with USICD's staff once before, right before my senior year of college. Now, a year into my dual-degree graduate school program at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Syracuse University), I found myself back in Washington, DC, working again with the organization that had first opened my eyes to how disability rights and advocacy (which I was already involved with at the local level) could have an international focus and global ramifications. I was with the team right when the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) first went to the U.S. Senate for ratification in 2012, so it was only fitting that one of my main tasks this second time around was to help coordinate outreach efforts to U.S. Senate candidates and incumbents campaigning for this year's election cycle.
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| Michael Brogioli Elected as North America Vice President of Rehabilitation International |
USICD congratulates Mr. Michael Brogioli, Executive Director of USICD member organization Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive
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| | Michael Brogioli |
Technology Society of North America (RESNA), on his appointment as the new North America Vice President of Reha bilitation International. USICD is pleased to have nominated Michael Brogioli for the post.
Michael has more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of various non-profit organizations. At RESNA, he promotes technology solutions for people with disabilities. In a previous post, he was First Vice President for Policy and Government Relations at Special Olympics International.
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