IDPP Seminar Series on Disability, Development and Global Governance

Academic Year 2015-2016 Spring Semester

Mondays, 2:00 - 3:30pm
29 February - 25 April 2016
SIS Building Room 349
School of International Service, American University

In line with the AU 2030: Global Disability Policy, Technology and Education initiative, our new seminar series aims to help create an interdisciplinary, cross-campus community at American University that can facilitate collaboration around mutual research interests at the intersection of disability, development, and global governance.

The seminar series serves as a consistent meeting space and a “hub” to facilitate collaborative research across faculty, students and staff at American University, as well as the Washington, DC policy community. Participants have the opportunity to actively engage in the discussion and put forward their ideas for collaboration, with a facilitator to guide each discussion and kick-start the conversation by sharing his/her research agenda and interests.

Inclusive Sustainable Development: Looking Toward 2030
29 February, 2:00 - 3:30pm, SIS Room 349 / Inaugural Session
This session will discuss the importance of including marginalized groups into the development process. It will focus on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and their particular significance for disability-inclusive development.

Measuring Disability Inclusion in the SDGs and CRPD with Big Data Analytics
14 March, 2:00 - 3:30pm, SIS Room 349 / Facilitator: Dr. Derrick Cogburn (AU SIS)
This session will discuss ongoing efforts to measure implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on monitoring disability inclusion, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It will also include techniques for analyzing large-scale textual data, including finding trends and patterns. Session Recording

Using Pop Culture & Media to Change Perceptions & Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities
21 March, 2:00 - 3:30pm, SIS Room 260* / Facilitator: Dr. Asiah Mason (Mason Global)
This session will discuss Dr. Asiah Mason of Mason Global's research in leveraging the power of pop culture and media to change public perceptions and attitudes of persons and disabilities. *This session only in SIS Room 260. Session Recording

Disability Law and Rights: Bringing Marginalized Groups “to the Table”
28 March, 2:00 - 3:30pm, SIS Room 349 / Facilitator: Dr. Robert Dinerstein (AU WCL)
This session will focus on disability rights and the laws that govern them. Topics include the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the existing gaps in policy implementation. Session Recording

Inclusive Cities: Governance and the Transformation of Disability Rights
4 April, 2:00 - 3:30pm, MGC Room 203 / Facilitator: Dr. Victor Pineda (UC Berkeley)
This session will discuss Dr. Victor Pineda’s international research on disability in the built environment through planning, design and public policy. Dr. Pineda serves the Obama Administration as a public member of the US Access Board. He is President of World Enabled, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at University of California-Berkeley. Session Recording

Social Media Advocacy for Raising Awareness and “Giving Voice”
11 April, 2:30* - 3:30pm, SIS Room 349 / Facilitator: Dr. Filippo Trevisan (AU SOC)
Technology is such a large part of our current world; social media in particular. This week’s session will explore how social media is used to raise awareness and advocate for unheard voices and what that means for the future. *2:30pm start time for this session only. Session Recording

Engaging Politicians & the NGO Sector on Disability Rights Implementation
18 April, 2:00 - 3:30pm, SIS Room 349 / Facilitator: Mr. David Morrissey (USICD)
Mr. David Morrissey, executive director of the U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD), will discuss USICD’s advocacy efforts around disability rights implementation in the U.S. and abroad, as well as the critical role of the NGO sector and its engagement with politicians to enact policy changes and implementation. Session Recording

Social Entrepreneurship and ICTs for Development
25 April, 2:00 - 3:30pm, SIS Room 349 / Facilitator: Dr. Nanette Levinson (AU SIS)
This session will discuss the important of social entrepreneurship in facilitating inclusive and sustainable development, as well as the critical role of accessible ICTs in development and broader global governance processes. Session Recording