Accessible Material

Concept Note: COSP15_Our Stories - Concept Note_Final Accessible.docx 

Flyer: COSP15_Our Stories - Flyer_Final Accessible.pdf 

Agenda

• Opening remarks by the Permanent Representative of Austria to the UN (5’)
• Introduction of format and speakers by the moderators (10’)
• Breakout rooms with one young expert and one facilitator each, including a short statement by the experts followed by a dialogue with the audience (30’)
• Sharing key insights by the experts in plenary (10’)
• Thematic dialogue between a business representative and the moderators (15’)
• Concluding remarks by the moderators (5’)

Speakers and Moderators

• Breakout Room 1 - I became a social entrepreneur and help others on the same path: Ms Jane WAITHERA, Disability Inclusion Advisor, Light for the World, Kenya
• Breakout Room 2 - I am a young woman in the workplace: Dr Robbie Francis WATENE, Senior Researcher, Donald Beasley Institute and Founder, The Lucy Foundation, New Zealand.
• Breakout Room 3 - I support work to transform the way that employers and businesses work: Mr Rejaul Karim SIDDIQUEE, OPD Engagement Officer, International Disability Alliance, Bangladesh
• Breakout Room 4 - I found my first job, but it was not easy: Ms Patricia MATIVO, Vice Chair, UNFPA Youth Advisory Panel, Kenya
• Thematic Dialogue - The Role of Employers: Mr Mustaphar FAYAGO, Human Resource Specialist, Federation of Uganda Employers, Uganda
• Moderator: Ms Deborah IYUTE, Programme Officer for Inclusive Employment, National Union of Persons with Disabilities of Uganda, Uganda
• Moderator: Mr Ambrose MURANGIRA, Disability Inclusion Advisory Unit Manager, Light for the World, Uganda

Accessibility

The organisers will provide simultaneous IS translation and real-time CART in breakout rooms and in the plenary.

Description

785 million persons with disabilities worldwide are of working age, with 64% of them across age groups unemployed. Discriminatory hiring practices, underpayment, a mismatch in skills training and inaccessible workplaces compounded by lack of reasonable accommodation are just a few barriers young persons with disabilities experience when entering the labour market. This exclusion from work is a major barrier to decent and independent living in inclusive societies. And yet, youth with disabilities along with their representative organisations create change towards more inclusive and accessible employment daily. This event gives the floor to youth with disabilities to share their lived experiences. In breakout rooms speakers share their personal stories, while participants are invited to actively engage. Key insights from the storytelling are taken into a plenary discussion for further reflection.