TWT Association participates in 2008 Global Summit on Education (Washington): Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities

A Delegation from TWT Association had the opportunity to join a Global Summit on “the Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities” held by the Department of Education from 18 to 20 September 2008 "in Washington - United States of America. During the summit, it was planned to launch Unify project: an initiative that addresses the youth in schools as "agents of change” advocating for respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities.

To launch the project UNIFY, 17 young people (athletes and partners) aged 14 – 20, with and without intellectual disabilities, have assembled for the first official Youth Advisory Committee meeting. For the purpose of exchanging experiences, Special Olympics invited four foreign delegations to attend this meeting. The delegations who previously participated in the 2007 Global Youth Summit (GYS) in Shanghai – China, came from South Africa, India, Dominican Republic and Lebanon. The Lebanese delegation consisted of an athlete and a coordinator from TWT and a partner from the American University of Beirut.

All young people, athletes and partners, including the Lebanese delegation, participated in a plenary session on "Challenges in Education", during which they presented their personal experiences in schools. Their thoughts and ideas were expressed in an honest and impressive way; it motivated the audience to talk about their own experiences too. As some participants claimed, this session was considered to be one of the most important sessions in the summit.

The participation of delegations from South Africa, India, Dominican Republic and Lebanon had a positive impact on the event, revealed in their contributions about the 2007 GYS experience in Shanghai in addition to other activities they have been involved in since then. Members of the Lebanese delegation had a good opportunity to present their own experiences.

It was one of other rich opportunities for TWT association to support its work in caring for children and youth with special needs. Hoping that such initiatives could contribute to better lives for them.