At the end of January, U.S. experts worked alongside United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), a leading DPO in Kenya to conduct a five-day intensive training in Kenya. Kenya is one of the RightsNow! countries in which participants examined national and international laws and policies, identified principles of effective legislation, explored tactics for advocacy, and created collaborative action plans to promote enforcement of laws to protect disability rights.
Trainings were built on a core curriculum developed by the RightsNow! team and country partners with tailored sessions that addressed specific priorities identified during an introductory visit held in April 2015.
As an outcome of the training, participants will implement action plans with on-going technical assistance from UDPK and the RightsNow! U.S. Consortium of partners.
U.S. Trainers
- Susan Henderson, Executive Director, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
- Virginia Atkinson, Manager, Global Access & Inclusion Programs, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
- Lydia Shula, Project Manager, MIUSA
Priority Topics
- Leadership of Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), advocacy, networking, and coalition building
- The Kenya Persons with Disabilities Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
- Effective advocacy with government stakeholders
- Promotion of infrastructural physical accessibility, education, employment, and access to legal services
The RightsNow! project also held trainings in Vietnam and Mexico, and will conduct a training in Armenia later this spring. You can learn about the RightsNow! project here.
