First 'All Hands' Meeting of the ASEAN IDPP Project

Cotelco just hosted its first ‘All Hands’ meeting for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) project this past Friday, June 4th.  Participants in this meeting included representatives from the core research team, members of the American University faculty and experts on disability and public policy from the DC area.  The meeting began with an overview of the background, the objectives and the current status of research on the ASEAN based IDPP.  This project is geared towards enhancing the goals of the Socio-Cultural Community in ASEAN by ensuring that the needs of persons with disabilities are met by the public policies of ASEAN member countries.  In order to accomplish this goal, this group is working to create a virtual graduate level degree granting institute that will train future leaders, analysts and advocates about the impact of disability and policy within the ASEAN region.  Participants at this meeting provided valuable insights and suggestions for future avenues of investigation.  Suggestions ranged from including an analysis of the potential job market for future graduates, the need for accreditation of the IDPP and possible software programs that could be used to support students with disabilities.  This meeting highlighted the progress and the potential of the ASEAN IDPP project.