September 11, 2021 h. 14 (Rome time – UTC 16) | Webinar
Watch again the Webinar on YouTube
Webinar report
by Maria Cynthia Funk and Catherine Wang
There were a total 17 participants from 8 countries namely the Philippines, India, Brazil, Sweden, Portugal, Norway, Australia, and Ireland.
After a warm welcome by the facilitator, the session kicked off with the Documentary “Opportunity” (https://youtu.be/OqbUP8l8HKA) which lasted for 25 minutes. After which the facilitator invited all the participants to share their reactions and reflections about the documentary on a Padlet.
The overarching theme emerged during the sharing was creating a more inclusive society. Here below are some reflections by the participants during the discussion:
Gerald (Ireland)
Gerald works with the government of Ireland to help create more inclusive societies. “Fabulous video! Wonderful designs full of harmony – something missing in the world today”.
Christine (Sweden)
Christine is a Managing Director of a Housing complex for elderly people in Stockholm. She shared her experience working with elderly people and indicated one challenge they face, “The older population realized that they were not enough digital. As a result, they couldn’t get the Covid test. The digital world that is being built seems to be excluding the old population.”
Rozelle (India)
“What would the world be if we put limitations first? Being a gift to others with the way I am. It is not easy in India to live as a person with disabilities. I am grateful to my parents and community which have accepted me with my disabilities.”
The discussion regarding the “exclusivity” of the digital world continued. Gerald shared the link to the website of his office in Ireland that offers a free web accessibility directive (https://www.universaldesign.ie/ ). The sharing of the participants brought to light that the digital world is still inaccessible to many. Therefore, it is important that the older population expresses this need that the young generation can help.
The facilitator then guided the discussion to the next step via another Padlet, on the question “Given the situation as such in the world/ my territory, what can I do?” Here are some sentences written by the participants:
- Realizing that the limit is not a problem, it’s just part of life: it is we who make it a problem by building barriers in our homes, spaces, cities etc.
- Bringing awareness amongst others around me.
- Give the “differently abled” the Opportunity to make a difference in the world.
- How can we educate persons with disabilities so they/all can become better advocates, according to the principle “Nothing about us without us”
The session concluded with announcement of the next appointment, on October 9, 2PM (Rome).
Download the flyer of this Webinar >> PDF DOCX
The film “Opportunity!” that has been shown in the course of the webinar can also be watched separately on YouTube (https://youtu.be/OqbUP8l8HKA). The full transcript is also available, including textual descriptions of images >> PDF DOCX