<div dir="ltr"><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Hi Everyone!<br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">We had a great discussion last week commemorating the 30 years of the ADA!</span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">For this week's reading I thought it would be a great idea to learn a little bit about another country's journey towards an accessible present and future. For that reason I chose a paper published in the proceedings of the GREAT Consultation of 2019 by the World Health Organization titled "The Colombian assistive technology sector: National policies and experiences from the National Disability System representatives" which gives us a background of the policy and resources available in the country of Colombia. </span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">For some background here is a summary of the consultation's foreword:<br></span></span></font></div><div>
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<p style="margin-left:40px"><i><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span>"As a first step to inform the development of a Global Report on effective access to assistive technology, WHO hosted the GReAT Consultation on 22-23 August, 2019. Over 260 participants from
60 countries representing academia, civil society, users of assistive technology, global
assistive technology stakeholders, States and UN agencies participated in this global
consultation.<br></span></span></span></font></i></p><p style="margin-left:40px"><i><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span>
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<div class="gmail-column"><i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span>More than 130 abstracts were submitted, and
following a review process considering the relevance, quality and geographic
representation, over 80 manuscripts or illustrative contributions were subsequently invited
to be developed into full manuscripts for presentation at the GReAT Consultation.</span></span></font></span></i><i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span> Contributions were sought to illuminate the range and breadth of assistive technology and
to recognise the diversity of stakeholders within the complex system of assistive technology.
Submitted manuscripts
were reviewed from academic, technical and accessibility perspectives. <br></span></span></font></span></i></div><div class="gmail-column"><i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span><br></span></span></font></span></i></div><div class="gmail-column"><i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span>These Proceedings
represent the first foundation for the Global Report. Its 76 sections comprise 72 manuscripts
and four abstracts, and are presented across eight themes: (1) Needs and Supply, (2) Access, (3) Outcomes, (4) Policies and Programmes, (5) Procurement and Service provision, (6) Capacity Building, (7) Innovations, (8) Enabling the sector."</span></span></font></span></i></div><div class="gmail-column"><br><i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span></span></span></font></span></i><i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span></span></span></font></span></i></div></div></div>
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</div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">I am also excited to share that Sara Múnera, one of the authors will be joining us this week to discuss the paper further. Sara is the director and founder of <a href="https://www.whee-educacion.com/">Whee</a>, a social enterprise that promotes accessibility and inclusion through education in Colombia. <br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">I look forward to reflecting on what common patterns we see among the US and Colombia, lessons learned that could be transferred across countries, and even on what are some universal challenges to accessibility that remain true independent of the nation. These are just some suggestions, all questions are welcomed!<br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">I have attached the complete proceedings PDF in case you want to learn more about the GReAT Consultation and the context in other countries. Our reading starts on page 397. I have also attached a separate PDF just containing our reading.<br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">We’ll meet this Thursday, August 6th at 12 PM Eastern Time here:
</span></span></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="https://cmu.zoom.us/j/94637562700" target="_blank">https://cmu.zoom.us/j/94637562700</a> <br></span></span></font></p></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">I look forward to our discussion! <br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Stephanie<br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">-- <br></span></span></font><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Stephanie Valencia</span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Ph.D. Student</span></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="https://www.hcii.cmu.edu/" target="_blank">Human Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon</a></span></span></font></div></div></div></div></div>