Who We Are

The Institute on Disability and Public Policy at American University is a multidisciplinary, cross-campus research center that creates and disseminates knowledge that enables all persons to participate effectively in local, national, and global governance through the use of accessible information and communication technologies. IDPP leads the AU 2030 Strategic Initiative on Global Disability and Development, and helps to facilitate collaborative research, teaching and outreach programs through its partnerships.

Since 2009, IDPP has been creating groundbreaking, innovative pathways to accessible learning. It built the world's first virtual graduate institute on disability and public policy through the vision and support of The Nippon Foundation.

Our Core Focus Areas:

  • Global, Regional and National Disability Policy

  • Inclusive Sustainable Development

  • Accessible Global Governance

  • Inclusive Cities and Urban Development

  • Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

  • Information and Communication Technologies for Development

  • Accessible Robotics

  • Accessible Cyberlearning

  • Accessibility, Assistive Technologies and Universal Design

News

Featured
IDPP Advisory Board Chair Ambassador Luis Gallegos Receives USICD International Advocate Award
IDPP Advisory Board Chair Ambassador Luis Gallegos Receives USICD International Advocate Award

Ambassador Luis Gallegos, IDPP Advisory Board Chair, will be honored with the International Advocate Award at the 2024 USICD Virtual Gala. Buy tickets now for October 21!

IDPP Hosts Colombian Delegation of U.S. State Department IVLP on Disability Inclusion and Policy
IDPP Hosts Colombian Delegation of U.S. State Department IVLP on Disability Inclusion and Policy

IDPP hosted the Colombian delegation of the U.S. State Department IVLP program to discuss global, regional, and national disability policies. 

AI and LLM Workshop on Prompt Engineering by IDPP Executive Director
AI and LLM Workshop on Prompt Engineering by IDPP Executive Director

Join us for an insightful AI and LLM workshop on prompt engineering led by IDPP Executive Director, Dr. Derrick Cogburn.

"AI: Promise or Peril?" Panel Discussion with IDPP Executive Director as Panelist
"AI: Promise or Peril?" Panel Discussion with IDPP Executive Director as Panelist

IDPP Executive Director Dr. Cogburn will be a panelist in “AI: Promise or Peril? Navigating the Uncharted Territory of AI” on October 17th.

IDPP Executive Director Provides Insight on CrowdStrike Global IT Outage
IDPP Executive Director Provides Insight on CrowdStrike Global IT Outage

IDPP Executive Director gives insight into the impact of the 2024 CrowdStrike global IT outage in new Mashable article.

IDPP at 17th UN Conference of States Parties to the CRPD
IDPP at 17th UN Conference of States Parties to the CRPD

IDPP attends the 17th Conference of State Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

HICSS-58 AI Safety & Inclusion Call for Papers
HICSS-58 AI Safety & Inclusion Call for Papers

Submit your paper to the AI Safety, Cybersecurity, and Inclusion Through Advanced Text Analytics minitrack, which seeks a wide range of theoretical and empirical papers that employ natural language processing (NLP), text mining, and text analytics techniques to better understand and improve decision making in AI safety, cybersecurity, and inclusion.

UNESCO Associate Chair & IDPP Executive Director Presents at American University Chair Renewal
UNESCO Associate Chair & IDPP Executive Director Presents at American University Chair Renewal

At the 4th renewal of the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, prominent scholars discussed global cooperation and the evolving landscape of international relations. IDPP Executive Director, Dr. Derrick Cogburn, showcased his work in inclusive internet governance.

American University Scholars & IDPP Executive Director and Speak at 2024 NASIG
American University Scholars & IDPP Executive Director and Speak at 2024 NASIG

IDPP Executive Director, Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn, served as a panelist at the 2024 NASIG Summit in Puerto Rico, contributing expertise on trust in virtual interactions and governing the global digital economy while advocating for inclusive internet access.

Inclusion & AI Safety Through Text Analytics HICCS-58 Minitrack Approved
Inclusion & AI Safety Through Text Analytics HICCS-58 Minitrack Approved

A new minitrack, "AI Safety, Cybersecurity, and Inclusion through Advanced Text Analytics," has been approved for the 58th Annual The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. IDPP anticipates breakthroughs in disability inclusion methods through this AI-centered research.