International Development

In support of the 2010 National Disability Summit on Disability Policy, New Editions’ team of researchers prepared ten working papers on disability policy issues. This landmark event marked the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and attracted over 400 stakeholders from across the country. The working papers addressed policy accomplishments and future challenges in areas such as civil rights, housing, health, employment, education and technology.

In support of the 2010 National Disability Summit on Disability Policy, New Editions’ team of researchers prepared ten working papers on disability policy issues. This landmark event commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and attracted over 400 stakeholders from across the country. The papers addressed policy accomplishments and future challenges in areas such as civil rights, housing, health, employment, education and technology.

For the National Council on Disability (NCD), New Editions provided research and meeting planning support services for the National Disability Summit on Disability Policy 2010. This landmark event marked the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and brought together over 400 stakeholders from across the country to provide input for a new policy agenda. In preparation for this meeting, our team of researchers prepared ten working papers identifying significant policy accomplishments, emerging issues and challenges for each topic area.

New Editions provides professional and technical advisory support to field Missions and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Washington through the USAID Inclusive Development Hub (ID) within the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI), which manages eight congressionally directed programs in the areas of Inclusive Development, Children in Adversity, Youth, Disability Rights and Inclusion, Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Indigenous Peoples Rights and Inclusion, and LGBTQI+ Rights and Inclusion.

African man in a wheelchair waving to the camera.Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities.

There is an abundance of global evidence demonstrating the serious harm associated with the placement of children in residential care institutions, such as orphanages. Residential institutions consistently fail to meet children’s developmental needs for attachment, acculturation and social integration. Extended periods of time in residential care, particularly for younger children, may stunt brain development.

Retiring Senator Tom Harkin and I have common interests. We share a passion for improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and we both support the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We have both been to Cuba twice and we have both been criticized for our comments about Cuba’s healthcare system. 

Neither Senator Harkin nor I said that Cuba has better healthcare than the US - what we said is we think Cuba’s healthcare “system” is impressive.

December 3, 2014 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The goal of this observance is to foster understanding of disability issues and encourage support for disability rights as well as dignity and inclusion for people with disabilities in all aspects of life. Worldwide, there are 1 billion people with disabilities.