Dear Members and Friends of Inclusion International,

Welcome to the December 2012 issue of our newsletter. We hope you enjoy our new format and find this to be a more dynamic and enjoyable reading experience. 

As this is the last newsletter of 2012 it is a nice opportunity to reflect on some of our accomplishments of the year and look forward to 2013.  Of particular note in 2012, is the successful global forum and national convention II co-hosted with the Arc of the United States in Washington DC in October 2012; and, the launch of our global report, Inclusive Communities = Stronger Communities, the result of II’s two-year campaign on the right to live and be included in the community.  More detail on these and other initiatives can be found in the newsletter. 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family all the best this holiday season and for a wonderful New Year. 

We look forward to more opportunities in 2013 to connect with our members and allies and to advance the rights and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Klaus Lachwitz
President

Inclusion International's Global Report on the Right to live and be Included in the Community launched in Washington

In October we launched our latest Global Report on the Right to Live and be Included in the community.

The report shares stories from self-advocates, families, and organizations from around the globe.

Download the Global Report (pdf)

Inclusion International and the Arc of the United States celebrate a successful National Convention and Global Forum

Over the course of three days, October 25 – 28, 2012, more than 900 people from over 35 countries gathered in Washington DC to take part in Inclusion International and the Arc of the United States National Convention and Global Forum, Achieving Inclusion Across the Globe.

Find out more about the conference

A video presentation about the Global Report can be seen on YouTube. It is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.

Inclusion International and the Rong Ai Rong Le parent organization in Beijing cohosted the first workshop for families of people with intellectual disabilities on December 7th and 8th in Beijing.

Find out more about the workshop

On the 28th of September IHC New Zealand held its first Symposium Called Making Rights Real.

It was the First Symposium held in New Zealand on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Find out more about the symposium

This September, Inclusion International supported a small delegation to participate in meetings held by the United Nations on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UNICEF on children with disabilities.

II President, Klaus Lachwitz, along with Quincy Mwiya, II’s Council Member from Zambia, and a self-advocate, were at the United Nations to participate in a Civil Society forum and the 5th Conference of States Parties on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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