Oct 27,1999 International symposium

SPEAKER

Mr.William Jolley

　Mr Jolley has been a leader of the self-help movement of people with disabilities since 1975, when he was the inaugural secretary of Blind Citizens Australia. For 7.5 years he was President of Blind Citizens Australia, resigning the Presidency to become Executive Officer in January 1994. Also, Vice-President for the East Asia Pacific Region of the World Blind Union, Convenor of the Disability Discrimination Act Standards Project, Member of the Disabilities Information Resources International Review Board, to name a few of prominent roles he plays.

Ms.Diane Richler

　Ms. Diane Richler is Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Association for Community Living, which works to assist communities to be inclusive of persons who have an intellectual disability. The association is a federation of ten provincial and two territorial associations with more than 400 local associations and over 40,000 members.
Ms. Richler was previously Director of The Roeher Institute. In 1996-97, Ms. Richler served as a policy advisor to the Minister of Human Resources Development.

Mr. Jaan Kaur

　Mr. Jaan Kaur has several different elected positions in, and for, the Swedish Federation of Disabled Persons - DHR. In 1978, he was employed as Organizing Secretary and head of the office of the Stockholm branch of DHR.
He has worked in places where DHR has projects running together with local organizations of disabled persons, such as Tanzania, Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, and Estonia where he has been working for the last three years.

Mr.Yutaka Takamine

　1Presently works as the Project Expert on Disability at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) since 1990. Was a former Chairperson of the Japanese Assembly of Disabled Peoples’ International.

Tomoko Taira

　Joined the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1995. Was assigned to Environment, WID and Other Global Issues Division, Planning Department of JICA in August 1998, The Division is currently examining JICA’s basic policies and approaches to issues of welfare for persons with disabilities.

MR.Ryosuke Matsui

　Professor, Department of Social Welfare, Hokusei Gakuen University; RI Vice President for Asia and the Pacific Region. Rehabilitation advisor for Asia　Pacific, ILO, 1988-92; has long been engaged in the employment issues for persons with disabilities.