Capacity Building

2008-2009

The Disabled Peoples' International North America and the Caribbean (DPI NAC) two-part Governance and Democracy capacity building project that included a DPI NAC Regional Women's Network Coordinating Committee (RWN CC) Strategic Planning Meeting on June 18 and 20, 2009 and the DPI NAC Regional Council Meeting from June 19-20, 2009 was a tremendous success!

The Project was held in Barbados, W.I. and was sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Caribbean Office, and Sagicor Financial Corporation through its subsidiary in Antigua and Barbuda, Sagicor Life Inc.  Transportation was provided by the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD), and the DPI NAC Member National Assembly in Barbados, the Barbados National Organization of the Disabled (BARNOD) also provided financial support and were excellent hosts!

2006-2008

The Disabled Peoples' International North America and the Caribbean Region (DPI NACR) launched a Health Education and Poverty capacity building project during its Regional Assembly 2006 from December 4-9.  The Assembly included a 3-day training seminar from December 4-6 entitled Discovering the Potential Inside: Claiming Our Right to a Healthy Lifestyle focusing on the effect HIV, STIs and substance abuse has had and is having on the community of persons with disabilities, particularly women in the Region.

The rest of the week included the following activities:

1. University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Behavioural Sciences Social Work Unit presentation on research and persons with disabilities, launching of the UWI Research Programme on Disability Studies, launching of its website found at http://sta.uwi.edu/disabilitystudies/, and presentations of the working paper “Tertiary Education: Fostering Inclusiveness for Persons with Disabilities" on December 7;

2. The election of a coordinating committee to manage a regional women's network and the launching of the network on December 8;

3. Regional council meeting that included the election of a New Regional Executive Council, and the election of new DPI World Council members on December 9.

DPI North America and the Caribbean Regional Assembly 2006 was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of Disabled Peoples' International (TTDPI).  To view pictures of the Regional Assembly, click on the following links:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Phase I of the project was funded by of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, Abilis Foundation and the Commonwealth Foundation.  Abilis Foundation funded Phase II.

Click here to read the Mid-Tern Narrative Report in PDF format.

Click here to read the Final Narrative Report in PDF format.

2003-2006

After many years of dormancy, the North America and the Caribbean Region of Disabled Peoples' International had its first real awakening with the implementation of a capacity building project that was launched in Antigua from January 12-16, 2004.

The event was something of a milestone achievement for the Antigua & Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities (ABAPD) since this was the first regional and international event to have been hosted by an organization of persons with disabilities in Antigua and Barbuda.  The capacity building conference entitled Establishing Our Rights, Recognizing Our Diversity was staged from January 13-15, 2004 with regional council meetings on January 12, 2004 and again on January 16, 2004.

The revelations and discussions from the council meetings produced a Strategic Plan that outlines the topic areas for the programs to be implemented by the Region.

The Abilis Foundation funded the regional capacity building project named Networking & Communications: Increasing the Knowledge Base of the North America/Caribbean Region that was launched at the aforementioned Conference in Antigua attended by representatives from the 14 national assemblies that are members of the Disabled Peoples' International North America and the Caribbean Region and 1 organization of and for persons with disabilities in Barbados that later became an associate member of the Region.

The project was completed on March 31, 2006.  Click on the links below to read the mid-term and final narrative reports in PDF formats.

Mid-Term Narrative Report

Final Narrative Report

About Us

Convention Entered into Force!

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) received its 20^th instrument of ratification by Ecuador on April 3, 2008!!  The Convention and its Optional Protocol entered into force on May 3, 2008.  Click the button below for more detailed information.

Click the buttons below to view the DPI Convention Ratification and Implementation Toolkits respectively.

HIGHLIGHT: International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2008

Click here to read the IDPD 2008 statement from the UN.

Click here to read about the history of IDPD, how the day may be observed and past themes since the introduction of the celebration.

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