RI Global From the Field: Day 3 of World Congress Tackles Sports and Disability, Ushers in New President
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Contact: Adrian Brune, +1 347-759-9501
The plenary session of Day Three explored the ways in which disabled persons and organizations could work together to create a more accessible world in the face of change. The morning focused on disaster preparedness, a timely topic considering the UN World Conferences related to natural – and man-made – crises, such as 2015 Climate Change Conference in Paris and Habitat III. RI Global’s own Regina Ernst and Stephen Duckworth moderated a panel in which Dr. David Alexander of University College London spoke on the design of measures to assist or empower people with disabilities during disasters. Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, explained his efforts to stretch the charity to help more people after a crisis. By providing follow-up support at the vital stages, he said BRC volunteers and staff helped prevent hospital stays, reduced levels of readmission, and minimised the need for expensive residential care.
During the afternoon, the plenary turned to Culture, Leisure, Sport, and Accessibility. Chet Cooper, the founder of ABILITY Magazine, talked about the power of social media to not only promote awareness for disability issues, but also bring disparate communities together. He was joined by Graeme K Whippy, the resident disability expert of Channel 4 Television who has helped the network’s representation of disability on-screen, and Craig Crowley, the former President of International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (Deaflympics).
In addition to the visability of the disabled, panelists talked about disabled volunteering and disabled sport. Ottobock Healthcare, which provided equipment to athletes who competed at the recent Rio Paralympic Games, and Shaw Trust, a leading disabled volunteer organization, called on the global community to offer greater access to sport and assistive technology toward the independence of PwDs. The German gold medal sprinter, Heinrich Popow told the Congress, that “the best thing you can do is to be honest. Be honest with yourself and your disability.”
Closing Ceremony


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