Final Meeting report - September 2015

Final Report – International Expert Meeting Report
29-30 June 2015, UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
Towards Strategic Road Map Page 1 of 21
Towards Strategic Road Map
for the establishment of
the Global Centre for Excellence
in Kuwait
Image no 1: Brainstorming session

UNESCO
Final Meeting Report
International Expert Meeting Report
29-30 June 2015, Paris France
Towards a Strategic Road Map
for the establishment of
the Global Centre for Excellence
for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
through Information and Communication
Technologies in Kuwait
UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
September 2015

Table of Contents
1 SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
2 MEETING OBJECTIVES......................................................................................................................................... 4
3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION............................................................................................................................ 5
4 WORKING MODALITIES ...................................................................................................................................... 6
5 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 8
6 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 12
7 ANNEXES .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
ANNEX 1. AGENDA OF THE MEETING .....................................................................................................................................13
ANNEX 2. LIST OF EXPERTS AND SHORT PROFILES .....................................................................................................................16
ANNEX 3. ONLINE RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................................21

1 Summary
1.1. The Government of Kuwait proposed to UNESCO the establishment in Kuwait City of a Global
Centre for Excellence (GCE) for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities through
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), under the auspices of UNESCO. The
Government of Kuwait requested the Director-General’s assistance in preparing the necessary
documentation for submission to UNESCO’s governing bodies.
1.2. The present document consists of a summary of the consultations carried out by UNESCO
Secretariat. Based on the results of the consultative process, the feasibility study was prepared
and summarized in a report by the UNESCO Director-General assessing the feasibility of the
proposal. An international expert meeting convened at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
from 29 to 30 June 2015 contributed significantly to the consultative process and finalization of
the feasibility study. Ideas and outputs from this meeting of leading experts and UNESCO’s
secretariat features within this strategic document.
1.3. The document also outlines the background and the nature of the proposal to be submitted to
the Governing Bodies of UNESCO and the likely development of the Global Centre, especially with
regard to the benefits that will accrue to Member States and most importantly to the disability
community around the world. It will also serve for the preparation of a Strategic Road Map.
2 Meeting objectives
2.1. The major objective of the June
2015 meeting was to discuss
revision of the feasibility study and
develop a strategic roadmap for
project implementation
addressing challenges and
opportunities, to discuss resources
and define infrastructures.
2.2. Challenged by Dr Lenin Moreno,
the UN Secretary-General’s Special
Envoy for Disability, in forceful
opening remarks, the experts were urged to formulate ideas and inputs for the revision of the
feasibility study through an informed pathway for expanding the Centre’s scope. This means
shaping a wider remit, beyond inclusive education covering sustainable development and the
application of ICTs for inclusive empowerment of persons with disabilities; the brief was also to
Image 2. Mr L. Moreno, Mr I. Banerjee and Mr B. Radoykov

define functions and structures, and to identify key programmatic activities along with partners
for future cooperation.
2.3. The recommendations of the expert group [see section 4, below] will be used to finalize the
feasibility study and other project-related documents.
3 Background information
3.1. The Government of Kuwait has proposed the establishment of a Global Centre for Excellence
(GCE) for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities through Information and
Communication Technologies as a category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO with the aim
of empowering persons with disabilities through their full inclusion in knowledge societies,
achievable through universal access to information and knowledge delivered by Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the context of the Post 2015 Sustainable Development
Agenda.
3.2. The relevance of establishing the Centre of Excellence in Kuwait City, particularly with its
proposed enriched global scope, can be attested by concrete steps already undertaken by the
Government of Kuwait, the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as by a majority of governments
globally, which have already ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (UN CRPD). The national, regional and international framework summarized below
will be taken into account when establishing the Global Centre.
3.3. In 2010, the State of Kuwait adopted a new Law Number 8 for the Rights of People with
Disabilities, setting up a framework for the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms
for persons with disabilities, in compliance with specific provisions of the UN CRPD on
accessibility (Article 9), access to information (Article 21), education (Article 24). Following this, on
22 August 2013, the State of Kuwait became the 134th State Party to ratify the UN CRPD.
3.4. With regards to the application of ICTs, the Government of Kuwait put in place a five-year
development plan (2009-2014) as a national strategy that seeks to develop Kuwaiti individuals
through the use of ICT-based products, networks, services and applications. Plans for each the
thematic areas were prepared in public service areas such as education and health as well as for
trade and industry in the light of information society action lines which had been outlined in the
declaration of principles of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). A number of
projects were implemented in close cooperation with non-governmental organizations to set up
community computer centres and labs in every elementary or secondary school.
3.5. The recent document, entitled “Disability in the Arab Region. An Overview (2014). UN ESCWA and
League of Arab States” produced by the UN states that the Arab Decade for Persons with
Disabilities (2004-2013) declared at the 2004 Arab Summit in Tunis, marked a milestone for the
Arab region, as it established for the first time a set of regionally-agreed principles and objectives

to guide national efforts on disability. The institutional and legal frameworks in the Arab region
have expanded significantly over recent years. According to the report, the disability prevalence
in Kuwait is 1.1. per cent. A national coordination mechanism exists within the government at
selected focal points, and appropriate constitutional articles have been put in place.
3.6. At regional level, the Cairo Declaration on Supporting Access to ICT Services for Persons with
Disabilities was issued by the First Arab Regional Conference on Sharing Experience on Best
Practices in ICT Services for Persons with Disabilities in November 2007. Since the adoption of the
Declaration, countries in the region, including the State of Kuwait, have introduced new laws
ensuring the government’s commitment to provide educational and teaching services and
teaching aids for persons with disabilities.
3.7. At the international level, the High-Level Meeting on Disabilities and Development held on 23
September 2013 at United Nations in New York, resulted in a concise, action-oriented Outcome
Document in support of the aims of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and
the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed
development goals for persons with disabilities.
3.8. In April 2015, UNESCO’s Executive Board during its 196th
session endorsed the recommendations
of the International Conference, entitled “From Exclusion to Empowerment: Role of ICTs for
persons with Disabilities” and its Outcome Document, entitled “The New Delhi Declaration on
Inclusive ICTs for Personswith Disabilities: Making Empowerment a Reality”, calling on all relevant
public and private stakeholders to ensure that disability issues must be prioritized across the
sustainable development agenda. In this way, ICTs through the latest scientific and technological
progress should benefit all citizens, including those with disabilities, offering them full enjoyment
of their human rights and freedoms, including equal social, economic and political participation
in society.
4 Working modalities
4.1. The June 2015 two-day international expert meeting brought together leading experts working
in the subject area to provide their professional assistance for the elaboration of a conceptual
framework for the establishment of the Global category II Centre of Excellence in The State of
Kuwait. The experts were – as mentioned above [2.2] – expected to provide inputs for the revision
of a feasibility study by expanding the remit and scope of the Centre from inclusive education to
sustainable development and application of ICTs for inclusion of persons with disabilities, as well
as define functions and structures, and identify key programmatic activities and partners for
future cooperation. The recommendations of the expert group were be used for the finalization
of the feasibility study and other project related documents.

4.2. The twelve international experts from ten different countries evaluated the factors affecting the
feasibility of establishing the Centre in Kuwait in various dimensions including: access to
information and knowledge using ICTs for persons with disabilities, inclusion of persons with
disabilities in the Arab region, and linkages with international normative framework.
4.3. The review process involved
various working sessions in
which the experts
considered the existing
methodological guidelines in
their area of expertise,
against the background of
specific profiles of persons
with disabilities highlighted
in a brief presentation
prepared by UNESCO as a
stimulus to the discussions.
4.4. The meeting used the
interactive d.school: Institute
of Design methodology (Ref.:
Hasso Plattner Institute of
Design, Stanford University
Institute of Design, USA) to
afford the experts freedom to
express their ideas easily and
without inhibition, as well as
to take charge of their
individual speaker sessions in
ways which energized, even
provoked their colleagues in
an interactive, productive and
stimulating manner. This
approach generated a wide range of inputs relevant to the revision and enhancement of the
current Global Centre proposal.
4.4 There was consensus among the experts on the need to adopt a carefully-judged, balanced
approach in a number of specific areas:
• Between a core resource base for key staff – including security of tenure for the Centre’s
physical location – and the flexibility offered by project-related partnerships delivering extra
Image 4. Photo of the methodology used during the meeting.
Image 3. Profiles of persons with disabilities. Design by Pete Denman.

funding, facilitated by nurtured networks of relevant, including especially local and regional,
organizations.
• Between the longer-term aspiration of global recognition and the need to anchor the centre
in its local situation and develop it as a credible and distinctive regional hub on disability
issues, constructing alliances with appropriate and credible partner-stakeholders.
• Between nurturing contacts with cutting edge research at universities, institutes and ICT-
focused corporations which hold out hope for exciting and sophisticated solutions [for
example translating sound waves to vibrations for deaf people] and, on the other hand, not
missing out on practical assistance measures which can benefit substantial numbers of
people with disabilities, using relatively, already available ‘low tech’ methodologies, in such
areas as basic computer access and transportation services.
5 Key recommendations
5.1. The vision of the Global Centre for Excellence is to build inclusive, participatory and equitable
societies, which respect and embrace human diversity in all spheres of life through the realization
of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities. This will be achieved,
in compliance with international normative instruments such as the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and Sustainable Development Goals in the
Post 2015 agenda.
5.2. As a centre for excellence and global repository of knowledge, the mission of the proposed
Global Centre is to enable societies to embrace and develop the potential of all persons with
disabilities through equal access to, and use of, information and knowledge through the
application of appropriate inclusive, innovative and affordable solutions, especially Information
and Communication Technologies. The Global Centre will assist Member States of UNESCO in
capacity-building and serving as a clearing-house of knowledge-sharing, regionally and
internationally, as well as acting as facilitator concerted international action on the basis of
accumulated knowledge and experience.
5.3. The main objective of the Global Centre is to empower persons with disabilities through their full
inclusion in knowledge societies, achievable through universal access to information and
knowledge delivered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the context of
the Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda by:
• Building capacity to identify, gather, assess and usefully disseminate international
knowledge and best practice around technology transfer;
• Setting professional standards and developing integrated action programmes - at country,
regional and global level;
• Creating innovative networks among stakeholders;
• Playing a major role using all ICTs and all communication media.

5.4. The functions of the Global Centre will be tailored to UNESCO’s key functions within the UN
system towards strengthening the application of ICTs to the problems faced by persons with
disabilities; acting as:
• Clearing house – to map existing resources and identify good practices and appropriate ICT
solutions at regional, international and global level;
• Capacity-builder – to strengthen the ability of all relevant stakeholders to create synergies,
provide guidance and advice;
• International facilitator – to intensify knowledge exchange through dialogue among
UNESCO’s Member States about disability and information accessibility issues;
• Catalyst for new ideas and joined-up thinking – to mobilize the international community to be
innovative and comprehensive in addressing disability issues in terms of their linkage with
other areas of disadvantage.
5.5. The Global Centre shall be at the service of Member States and Associate Members of UNESCO
who wish to cooperate with the Global Centre; it shall be guided and overseen by a Governing
Board renewed every two years. In the framework of its functional autonomy, the Global Centre
will have its own programme, budget and staff, to be approved by its governing board and
determined by the objectives of the Global Centre. By signing the agreement, the host
Government shall undertake to provide all the resources, financial or in kind, needed for the
administration and proper functioning of the Centre. The Government shall allocate to the Centre
an annual budget to be distributed according to needs and foreseen activities.
5.6. A draft Strategic Road Map will be put in place covering the activities for the period 2016-2017
including the Centre’s strategic direction, timelines and general rules and procedures, along with
thematic programmes [see 5.7 below]. This Strategic Road Map will propose the necessary
budget allocations for 2016-2017.
5.7. In the framework of this staged approach four thematic programmes are envisaged as core to
the Strategic Road Map. They contain significant inputs from the international experts who met
at UNESCO in June 2015:
Programme 1 – Improving capacities at national, regional and international levels
• Training (persons with disabilities in either school or home-based education settings, as well
as parents and government officials);
• Skills development (teachers and therapists attuned to new technologies and certification
standards);
• Awareness raising activities targeting policy makers, communities and employers;
• Data collection and research;
Programme 2 – Content development:
• Development and dissemination of training materials;
• Communication strategy towards all stakeholders;

• Formulation of best practices and models;
• Production and supply of materials to implement and back up policy recommendations;
Programme 3 – Strengthening sharing of international knowledge
• Identify best practices and research, liaising with international partners;
• Ensure accessibility of resources in different contexts and locations;
• Construct an online database as the foundation for the creation of a global knowledge hub;
Programme 4 – Network and international cooperation:
• Leverage knowledge value from the global database as detailed in Programme 3(iii);
• Organize major international conferences and events;
• Establish or link up with regional centres and other connection points throughout the world;
• Form strategic partnerships including agreements with other knowledge centres,
educational institutions, industrial firms, and specific project stakeholders.
5.8. The Centre will enjoy full autonomy for its operations, as required by UNESCO. This autonomy
should be effectively guaranteed by the governance structure assigned to the Global Centre,
which will be composed of:
• Governing Board;
• Executive Committee;
• Technical Advisory Committee; and
• Secretariat.
The members at all levels of the organizational structure of the Global Centre will reflect an
appropriate gender balance.
5.9. For the recruitmentof humanresources required for the Centre, staff profiles should be prepared;
these may include the following positions: deputy administrator, programme managers, IT
manager, rehabilitation specialist and other job descriptions (responsibilities), as well as covering
staff location issues (in house or remote/virtual), recruitment of consultants and internships.
5.10. Funding for the Global Centre is covered by the Government of Kuwait and gradually becomes
self-sustainable. The following recommendations, strongly endorsed at the June experts
meeting, are proposed to ensure the Centre’s funding autonomy:
• Transition strategy to become fully sustainable should include robust funding provision in
order to sustain key activities, infrastructure and resources;
• The Global Centre’s physical location and its linkages to the hosting organization (e.g.
university premises, research grants, profiles of staff) should be well defined and benefits for
the host organization agreed (e.g. derived indirect costs);
• Financial resources required for the smooth running of the Centre may vary between 1 to 3
million USD;

• A clear mechanism for funding the Centre - including government support and generated
by the Secretariat - should be established.
5.11. The Global Centre will seek close cooperation with other UNESCO category II Centres and aspire ,
over time, to make its own contribution to this dimension of UNESCO’s activities as well as to
achieving effective synergies with other national, regional and international organizations
working in the subject area. The Global Centre will involve the participation of the Member States
of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), other UNESCO Member States along with the global
disability community and other relevant stakeholders around the world.
5.12. The actual title of the Global Centre has been proposed as “A Global Centre for Excellence for the
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities through Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT)”.
5.13. A number of key ICT and Assistive Technology solutions have been identified, and confirmed at
the June 2015 expert meeting, as core to building the technological base of the planned Global
Centre. These include devices, software, resources, services and spaces which would be
applicable to Centre’s specific functions as well as to the diverse needs of target beneficiaries. A
showroom for proved ICT and AT solutions could be established at the premises of the Centre
and used for related capacity-building related activities.
5.14. At the June meeting a strong emphasis from the experts emerged about the importance of
physical location for persons with disabilities, alongside the availability of public transportation
and other accessibility issues. These questions were marked down as requiring further
elaboration and precision within the final Strategic Road Map.
5.15. The communication strategy of the Global Centre should highlight key information resources
such as initial, periodical, biannual activity reports and other documents in varying formats. The
International Expert Group recommended the use of creative commons licences for open
educational resources. Social media and discretely segmented information from various
stakeholders have been indicated as key success factors for effective communication. The experts
raised as a priority the translation of key documents from other languages into Arabic.
5.16. The question of a transition strategy, targeted towards the Centre’s full autonomy, has been
considered through the prism (perspective) of programme activities, partners, human resource
development, budget planning, international cooperation agreements and the profile of the host
organization.

6 Conclusions
6.1. The Global Centre is fully in alignment with UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2014-2021 (37
C/4) and UNESCO’s Programme and Budget for 2014-2017 (37 C/5, Major Programme V, Main Line
of Action 2: Enabling Universal Access and Preservation of Information and Knowledge) and
contributes to the implementation of the Post-2015 sustainable development agenda, especially
eradicating conditions of poverty which further exacerbate difficulties facing persons with
disabilities.
6.2. On the basis of this document, the UNESCO Secretariat submitted (Ref.: 197 EX/16 Part XXII) a report
to the Executive Board which may wish to approve the establishment of the Global Centre as a
category 2 Centre operating under the auspices of UNESCO and to authorize the Director-General
to sign the agreement between UNESCO and the Government of Kuwait establishing the Global
Centre of Excellence, in accordance with document 37 C/Resolution 93 and document 37 C/18 Part
I of the General Conference concerning the establishment of global, international and regional
centres under the auspices of UNESCO.
Image 5. Group photo (by Derrick L. Cogburn)

7 Annexes
Annex 1. Agenda of the meeting
International Expert Meeting
Establishment of a Centre of Excellence on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
using ICTs
29 – 30 June 2015, UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
Day One – 29 June 2015 (ROOM VI)
9.00 – 9.30 Registration of the participants (Main entrance, 7 place de Fontenoy, 75007 Paris)
Session 1
9.30 – 10.15
Opening remarks and introduction -
overview, objectives and expected outcomes
Chair: Mr Indrajit Banerjee, Director, Knowledge Societies Division, Communication
and Information, UNESCO
• Welcome remarks by Mr Indrajit Banerjee, Director, Knowledge Societies
Division, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
• Address by Mr Lenin Moreno, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-
General on Disability and Accessibility and Former Vice President of Ecuador,
Ecuador
• Self-introduction of the participants
10.15 – 10.30 Coffee/tea break
Session 2
10.30 – 12.30
Mapping Challenges and Opportunities: Revision of the Feasibility Study
Chair: Ms Irmgarda Kasinskaite-Buddeberg, Programme Specialist, Communication
and Information Sector, UNESCO and Mr Pete Denman, Senior designer, Lab’s, Intel
Corporation, USA
• Defining mission, key functions, objectives, scope and title of the Centre
• Establishing thematic linkages between inclusive education and access to
information using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
12.30 – 14.15 Official lunch (UNESCO’s Restaurant in Fontenoy building, 7th floor)
Session 3
14.15 – 15.45
Development of a Strategic Roadmap:
Thematic programmes leading into areas of action and concrete activities
Chair: Ms Stuti Kacker, Former Secretary of the Department of Disability Affairs,
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, The Government of India

• Thematic programme 1: Improving national/regional/international/global
capacities
• Thematic programme 2: Content development
Session 4
16.00 – 17.30
Development of a Strategic Roadmap (Cont.)
Chair: Ms Gisela Nauk, Section Chief, Inclusive Social Development, UN Economic
Commission for Western Asia
• Thematic programme 3: Strengthening sharing of international knowledge
• Thematic programme 4: Network and international cooperation

Day Two – 30 June 2015 (ROOM V)
Session 5
9.30 – 10.15
Structure of the Centre
Chair: Ms Irmgarda Kasinskaite-Buddeberg, Programme Specialist, Knowledge
Societies Division, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
• Governing Board
• Executive Committee
• Technical Advisory Committee
• General rules and procedure
Session 6
11.00 – 12.30
Chair : Mr Donal Rice, Centre for Disability Law and Policy, National University of
Ireland Galway, Ireland
• Recommended for the Centre ICT and ATs solutions
• Contextualization and adaptation process
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch break
Session 7
14.00 – 15.30
Chair: Mr Alexandre Barbosa, Head of the Centre of Studies for Information and
Communications Technologies (Cetic.br), an UNESCO Category II Center for the
Development of Information Society, Brazil
• Communication strategy
• Transition strategy
• Partners
Session 8
15.15 – 16.45
Resources and infrastructure
Chair: Dr Scott W Harrington, Director of the Youth Transition Project, Nevada
Center for Excellence in Disabilities (NCED), University of Nevada, USA
• Budget
• Staff (profiles)
• Infrastructure/architecture
• Support services
Session 9
16.45 – 17.00
Closing remarks

Annex 2. List of experts and short profiles
Mr Ahmed Abdulaziz Khalid Alghareeb, AssistantDirector ofSocialNeeds SchoolSpeech and
Language Pathologists, Kuwait
Dr Ahmed Abdulaziz Khalid Alghareeb is an advisor to the Assistant Undersecretary of
special and quality education in Ministry of Education in Kuwait. He worked as speech
therapist for eleven years, six years in the obstruction of cerebral palsy school, and five
years in the Auditory disability weakness school. Dr Alghareeb also served as Head of
Department of Language and Speech Diseases in Al-Amel School from 2006 to 2012. He
provides workshops on the Alternative communication Devices. He holds Bachelor of
Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Kuwait in 1998, Diploma in language and
speech diseases, Dalhousie Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Center, in Kuwait from
1998 to 2000. He regularly addresses the audience of the regional and international
events as a speaker on learning disabilities and communication issues.
Prof Dominique Archambault, Professor, Université Paris 8, France
Prof Dominique Archambault is professor in Computer Sciences at University Paris 8-
Vincennes-Saint-Denis, member of the THIM laboratory (Technologies, Disabilities,
Interactions, Multimodalities), and Chargé de mission in charge of the politics towards
disabilities at University Paris 8. His works focus on non-visual human-computer
interaction and accessibility to complex documents. He is involved in the support of
disabled students at University since 25 years and is the vice-president of the French
Association of Professionals Supporting students with disabilities in Higher Education
(APACHES). He is co-leader of the Master “Technologies and Disabilities” of University
Paris 8. Additionally he is a board member of the Association for the Advancement of
Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE), the General Secretary of the Institut Fédératif
de Recherche sur les Aides Techniques pour Personnes Handicapées, and the chair of the
Scientific Committee of ICCHP Summer University where people with visual disabilities
can learn and share assistive technologies to work in Maths, Statistics and Science. He
has published about a hundred publications including papers in international journals
and conferences.
Dr Alexandre Barbosa, Head of the Center of Studies for Information and Communications
Technologies (CETIC.br), an Unesco Category II Center for the development of information
society, Brazil
Head of the Center of Studies for Information and Communications Technologies
(CETIC.br), an Unesco Category II Center for the development of information society
based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mr. Barbosa is in charge of several nationwide ICT Survey

projects in Brazil aimed at the production of ICT-related statistics and indicators. Mr.
Barbosa holds a PhD degree in Business Administration from Getulio Vargas Foundation,
a Master Degree in Business Administration from Bradford University, a Master Degree in
Computer Science from Federal University of Minas Gerais, and a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Electrical Engineering from Catholic University. He has conducted
postdoctoral research at HEC Montreal in Canada.
Dr Derrick L. Cogburn, Executive Director, Institute on Disability and Public Policy
Associate Professor of International Relations, American University,
School of International Service, Washington, USA
Mr Derrick Cogburn is Associate Professor of International Relations at the School of
International Service at American University. His research and teaching includes: global
information and communication technology and socio-economic development;
institutional mechanisms for global governance of ICTs; transnational policy networks
and epistemic communities; and the socio-technical infrastructure for geographically
distributed collaboration in knowledge work. Dr. Cogburn directs the Center for
Research on Collaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities
(Cotelco), an award-winning social science research collaboratory investigating the
social and technical factors that influence geographically distributed collaborative
knowledge work, particularly between developed and developing countries. Cotelco is
an affiliated center of the Burton Blatt Institute, Centers of Innovation on Disability.
Cogburn is the immediate past president of the Information Technology and Politics
section of APSA, and of the International Communication section of the ISA.
Mr Pete Denman, Senior designer, Lab’s, Intel Corporation, USA
Mr Pete Denman is a senior designer in Intel Labs specializing in User Interface design
and User eXperience. Using his fine art background Pete connects technology to human
need through interaction and design. Labs is the R&D area of Intel and has given Pete
the opportunity to work on future generation of products and design for the cutting
edge of technology. In recent years Pete redesigned the interface used by Stephen
Hawking, helping the Professor to speak and interact with his system more easily. Pete
designed a revolutionary new way of visualizing data using biomimicry and is currently
working with a team at Intel using this and other visualizations to make an interactive
data toolkit to unleash the power of personal data. Pete is a quadriplegic as well as
dyslexic and over his 20 year career he has worked primarily in the health field on
research and products including: the Intel Health Guide, the Intel Reader and more
recently the a research project exploring the needs of wheelchair users called the
“Connected Wheelchair”.

Dr Scott W Harrington, Director of the Youth Transition Project, Nevada Center for
Excellence in Disabilities (NCED), University of Nevada, USA
Dr Scott W. Harrington is the Director of the Youth Transition Project at the Nevada
Center for Excellence in Disabilities (NCED) at the University of Nevada, Reno in the
College of Education. He is currently the Director for the Customized Employment
Project, an externally funded project to help individuals with Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities secure integrated employment for competitive wages. Dr.
Harrington has written and directed multiple federally funded projects that helps
persons with disabilities transition to community-based competitive employment and
attend post-secondary institutions.
Mr Charlie Henry, Her Majesty's Inspector, National Lead HMI for special educational needs
and disability, United Kingdom
Charlie Henry is one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors within the Office for Standards in
Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted). Ofsted is the United Kingdom
Government’s department for evaluating the quality of education and training in schools
and colleges. Charlie is one of Ofsted’s two National Leads for disability and special
educational needs. He is a qualified teacher and educational psychologist. Charlie has
advanced qualifications in the education of students with special educational needs,
reading development and educational psychology. He has worked in the field of special
educational and disability for more than 30 years as teacher, special school manager,
educational psychologist and inspector. Since joiningOfsted full-time in 2004 Charlie has
led many school inspections in mainstream primary schools, secondary schools, special
schools, pupil referral units and specialist colleges. Including his previous experience as
a part-time inspector, Charlie has inspected special educational needs provision for
twenty years.
Mr Lenin Moreno, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Disability and
Accessibility and Former Vice President of Ecuador, Ecuador
Mr Lenín Voltaire Moreno Garces is the Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility,
United Nations, and the Chairperson of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities of the Organization of American
States. Mr. Moreno is a globally acclaimed advocate for persons with disabilities and
inclusive society. Under his leadership as Vice-President, Ecuador greatly advanced
social inclusion and the integration of persons with disabilities into national
development efforts as well as regional and international cooperation. In recognition of
his achievements, Mr. Moreno was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 by

members of Ecuador’s National Assembly. He has received a number of awards,
including the Grand Cross Grade of the Andean Parliament.
Ms Stuti Kacker, Former Secretary of the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, The Government of India, India
Ms Stuti Kacker has is the Secretary Department of Disability Affairs in the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment. Smt Kackar has a vast and varied field experience and
worked as Resident Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh at New Delhi, Joint Secretary,
Information & Broadcasting Department, earlier she was District Magistrate Gazipur and
Commissioner Jhansi Division. Ms Kacker is working on the National Programme for
Empowerment of Disabled People based on the CBR or Community Based Rehabilitation
strategy which will focus on issues of inclusion. The programme aims to make use of CBR
strategy to bring about inclusion.
Ms Gisela Nauk, Section Chief, Inclusive Social Development, UN Economic Commission for
Western Asia
Ms. Gisela Nauk is the Chief of the Inclusive Social Development Section at the UN
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in Beirut. In this capacity, she
manages the portfolios of social inclusion, social protection, disability and inclusive
cities. She is a public sector specialist with Masters Degrees in Political Science and in
International Public Policy, and around 30 years of experience in political and policy
analysis, social research, social protection, employment, as well as in peace building,
governance and development work.
Dr Donal Rice, Senior ICT Advisor, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, National
Disability Authority, Ireland and Lecturer/PhD student with the Centre for Disability Law
and Policy at National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
Mr Rice has over 15 years’ experience working on accessible and user-centered designed
ICT projects. He chaired the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Workshop
Agreement (CWA) on Curriculum for Training Professionals in Universal Design, (CEN
WS/UD-Prof-Curriculum), and contributed to the development of the Mandate 376
“Accessible ICT Procurement Toolkit”. He has contributed to numerous UN, UNESCO, ITU
and G3ict projects and reports. He holds an MSc in Computing and is currently
undertaking a PhDin eAccessibility and Legislation with the Centre for DisabilityLaw and
Policy at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Dr Andrew Taussig, Former Trustee, The International Institute of Communications, UK
Dr Andrew Taussig is a Former Trustee, The International Institute of Communications.
Mr Taussig worked for 30 years in the BBC where he held the post of Director of Foreign
Language Services in the BBC World Service. Mr Taussig played a key role in drafting the
BBC's Editorial and Production Guidelines. Mr Taussig is a former Trustee of Voice of the
Listener &Viewer, a Board member of the European Alliance of Listener & Viewer
Associations, a Trustee of the International Institute of Communications and a Director
of the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management. He served as a member
of the Council of Chatham House and as a member of the International Academic
Advisory Committee for the Asia Media, Information and Communication Centre. He co-
authored a report, commissioned by the national regulatory authorities, on community
radio in Thailand. Andrew has contributed articles to the Historical Journal of Film, Radio
and Television, Media Asia, Commonwealth Broadcaster and Intermedia.
UNESCO Secretariat
Dr Indrajit Banerjee, Director, Knowledge Societies Division, Communication and
Information Sector, UNESCO
Dr Boyan Radoykov, Chief, Universal Access and Preservation Section, Knowledge
Dr Irmgarda Kasinskaite-Buddeberg, Programme Specialist, Knowledge Societies
Division, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
Ms Raji Pajany, Assistant, Universal Access and Preservation Section, Knowledge
Ms Rebecca Orford, UNESCO Intern from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),
University of London, UK
Mr Paul Sutherland, UNESCO Intern from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),
University of London, UK

Annex 3. Online resources
UNESCO’s Executive Board, 197 session. Item 19. Part XXII. p. 39-47. Establishment in
Kuwait City, Kuwait, of a Global Centre for Excellence for the Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002340/234051e.pdf
Brief information on UNESCO’s category II Institutes and Centres
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/bureau-of-strategic-planning/resources/category-2-
institutes/
Integrated Comprehensive Strategy for Category 2 Institutes and Centres under the
Auspices of UNESCO 37 C/Resolution 93 (November 2013), General Conference
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/BSP/pdf/en-37-C-18-
PART_I.pdf
UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector, Access to information and
knowledge for persons with disabilities
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-
knowledge/access-for-people-with-disabilities/
International conference “From Exclusion to Empowerment: Role of ICTs for Persons
with Disabilities”, 24 – 26 November 2014 in New Delhi, India
http://www.unesco-ci.org/ict-pwd/
Parallel session 12. Supporting Community Efforts to Create Inclusive Learning Spaces
for All Using ICTs
http://www.unesco-ci.org/ict-pwd/conference-agenda
Outcome Document – The New Delhi Declaration on Inclusive ICTs for Persons with
Disabilities Making Empowerment a Reality
http://www.unesco-ci.org/ict-pwd/
Interactive d.school: Institute of Design Methodology
http://dschool.stanford.edu/about/

Final Meeting report - September 2015

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