Earlier this year, USAID joined the international disability community in mourning the loss of Judith "Judy" Heumann. Known as the "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement," Judy was a tireless advocate for persons with disabilities around the world and a personal hero of mine. During her time as the Department of State's first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights under President Barack Obama, Judy worked closely with USAID to integrate disability rights into international development efforts.
Judy, who passed away in March, always challenged the view of disability as tragedy, and she encouraged everyone to celebrate persons with disabilities as a natural part of the rich and diverse tapestry of humanity. As Judy put it: "Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives - job opportunities or barrier-free buildings, for example. It is not a tragedy to me that I'm living in a wheelchair."
As we commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we redouble our commitment to driving global development that is accessible to all and harnessing the lived experience and technical expertise of persons with disabilities to improve our programming.
I'd like to highlight three ways that the Agency has advanced these efforts over the past year.
First, we are funding research to help USAID's partners better understand how best to serve persons with disabilities. For example, through a partnership called Supporting Holistic and Actionable Research in Education, or SHARE, we are investing in research led by a team of deaf experts who are working with local deaf researchers and organizations in Malawi, Rwanda, and the Philippines to better foster foundational language and literacy skills for deaf learners.
Second, USAID is bringing diverse stakeholders together to address priority issues for persons with disabilities. In April, for instance, USAID's Advancing Nutrition program worked with UNICEF to co-host a convening that gathered more than 100 participants working in nutrition, disability, health, policy, and research to discuss how to improve nutrition among children with feeding difficulties and disabilities. Many participants noted it was their first opportunity to address these issues with such a diverse array of stakeholders.
And third, USAID is working to improve access to democratic processes for persons with disabilities, promote their political leadership, and counter ableism - discriminatory and stigmatizing social norms that devalue persons with disabilities relative to non-disabled persons. In 2018, USAID supported a pilot training course in the Dominican Republic called Engaging a New Generation for Accessible Governance and Elections, or ENGAGE. The program builds the skills of young people with disabilities to be leaders in their communities, providing direct community engagement experience while increasing representation of persons with disabilities in leadership positions. For example, in the Dominican Republic, three ENGAGE alumni were hired by the Central Electoral Board and the City Hall. Today, ENGAGE is operating in five additional countries and one autonomous region, has attracted support from additional donors, and, in February, received a prestigious Zero Project Innovative Practice Award.
We do all this work consistent with the commitments laid out at the 2022 Global Disability Summit to challenge misperceptions, confront bias and neglect, and support persons with disabilities to contribute fully to their communities. In the coming months, we will release an updated disability policy with a framework for advancing disability-inclusive development as a cross-cutting Agency priority. And we will continue to honor the legacy of powerful advocates like Judy Heumann by partnering directly with the next generation of disability leaders as they work to build more inclusive, accessible, and equitable communities.
