Equitable quality education for all

Location

Zoom webinar

Date and time

September 15, 2021

11am-12pm ET, 8am-9am PT, 4pm-5pm GMT

An interactive online event

Join us for this expert panel discussion on creating systemic change through inclusive education programs. We will also explore the role of strategic, financial, and technical partnerships. Together we can achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all – so that every child can choose their own future.

The event will be opened by internationally renowned disability rights activist, Judy Heumann. There will also be an opportunity to meet Leonard Cheshire’s new CEO Ruth Owen OBE and our US Board of Trustees.

The panels will address some of the major barriers to achieving equitable quality education for all and feature experts, including:

Disability rights activists from the global south.
Technical experts from Leonard Cheshire.
Inclusive education specialists from major international bodies, such as the World Bank.

Please email events@leonardcheshire.org to reserve your place.

Download our impact report

US impact report 2021 Size: 5.08 MB Type: application-pdf

Technical: Systems change through transforming teacher training

How can we transform training systems to ensure teachers are equipped to teach diverse classrooms of students, ensuring quality equitable education for all?

Representation: Voice and empowerment of girls in education

What have we learned during the pandemic about the realities of girls and other marginalized groups in education, and how can this pivot us toward ensuring that all children are included and safe in education?

Ruth Owen

CEO, Leonard Cheshire

Ruth became CEO of Leonard Cheshire in 2021. A wheelchair user from the age of seven, Ruth believes passionately in the importance of independent mobility in a disabled person’s life and in removing the barriers disabled people face.

Ruth is a widely recognized leader in the UK’s disability rights and inclusion movement. In 2012 she was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of Ruth's services to disabled children and young people. In the same year, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Hull University for her services to disabled children.

Among other leadership roles, Ruth serves as a member of The Mayor of London’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group; Regional Chair for London by the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions; and a DPO Forum Member (Disabled Persons’ Organization) in the UK’s Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit.

Prior to joining Leonard Cheshire, Ruth spent 17 years as CEO of Whizz-Kidz, a UK children’s disability not-for-profit providing mobility equipment. Under Ruth’s leadership, the charity became a leading campaigning organization. Before moving to Whizz-Kidz, Ruth forged a successful career in the private sector in technologies, eventually setting up and running her own IT company for ten years.

Judith Heumann

Internationally renowned disability rights activist and Leonard Cheshire Ambassador

Judith is an internationally recognized leader in the Disability Rights Independent Living Movement. Her work with a wide range of activist organizations, NGOs, and governments since the 1970s has contributed greatly to the development of human rights legislation and policy benefiting disabled people.

She has advocated for disability rights at home and abroad, serving in the Clinton and Obama administrations, as the World Bank's first adviser on disability and development, and as a senior fellow of The Ford Foundation. In 2020, Judy was nominated as one of the top 100 women of the year in TIME magazine.

She was featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Crip Camp” on Netflix (2020) and her memoirs, “Being Heumann” (2020) and “Rolling Warrior” (2021). Judy proudly supports and promotes Leonard Cheshire’s access to education and livelihoods programmes in Africa and Asia. Listen to her podcast with Leonard Cheshire for International Women’s Day or connect with her on Twitter (@judithheumann) and Facebook (TheHeumannPerspective).”

Bob Prouty

International Education Consultant and former Director of the Global Partnership for Education, United States

Bob holds a PhD in Educational Administration with an emphasis on African Studies. He is the former head of the Global Partnership for Education and served for a number of years as Lead Education Specialist at the World Bank. Bob lived for 10 years in rural areas of D.R. Congo (formerly Zaire) and Rwanda. He is currently a member of the European Union's Education Advisory Service and serves as a moderator for the International Institute for Education Planning’s (IIEP) online course on Foundations of Disability/ Inclusive Education Sector Planning, which is offered to education planners around the world. Throughout his career, he has given particular attention to inclusive classroom contexts and learning outcomes—what it takes to ensure that all children have access to good quality learning opportunities.

Marie Schoeman

Inclusive Education Programs Technical Lead, Leonard Cheshire, South Africa

Marie oversees Leonard Cheshire's global inclusive education programs. She is also an Expert Advisor for the Catalyst for Inclusive Education - a global network led by Inclusion International. Marie worked in the South African Ministry of Education from 1997 to 2018 as an inclusive education specialist and disability focal person.

She was responsible for drafting transformative national policy and monitoring systemic change toward inclusive education. In 1997, President Mandela appointed Marie to the National Commission that drafted South Africa's Inclusive Education Policy. She has devoted her career to systemic change so that all children can realize their right to quality inclusive education.

Martin Osang’iri Okiyo

OGW, SMIF, Inclusive Education Technical Advisor, Leonard Cheshire Kenya, Kenya

Martin is a disability inclusive development specialist in communication, education and training. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Needs Education and French Language, Master’s Degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration as well as in Development Studies.

Before joining Leonard Cheshire, Martin was a Global Advocacy Adviser with Sightsavers’ East, Central and Southern Africa office. Martin serves on the board of the Kenya National Examinations Council, where he represents disability issues. In honor of his work in disability and education in Kenya and globally, Martin was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya in 2017. He is also a Fellow of the Senior Management Institute (SMIF), University of Pretoria.

Leon Juma

Youth advocate, Kenya

Leon was born with spina bifida and lives in Kenya. He is a citizen reporter for Leonard Cheshire’s 2030 and Counting youth advocacy program. Leon is also interning at a children’s center while studying for a higher education diploma in Information Technology.

After attending a special school for children with disabilities in primary and high school, Leon was one of only two youths with a disability out of 4,000 students in his higher education program. This experience led Leon work to change policies in the school to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Through his efforts, the school created a leadership post to advocate for the rights of students with disabilities and secured accessible accommodation and ramps. Leon is proud that his efforts helped create a more secure environment for students with disabilities.

Phil Hanks

Partnerships Manager and youth Technical Lead, Leonard Cheshire

Phil leads Leonard Cheshire’s international work on youth leadership across Africa and Asia. He has a passion for inclusive youth development and has over 15 years of experience leading youth-led community leadership projects, particularly with marginalized groups. Phil has a strong track record of leading collaborative and empowering “development for change” processes across his portfolio.

Prior to his work with Leonard Cheshire, Phil spent over a decade developing international youth volunteering opportunities at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), including the UK Government’s flagship project, International Citizen Service (ICS). With a focus on partnerships, he brings extensive experience capacity-building grassroots civil society organizations (CSOs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and governments to deliver inclusive youth programs.

Ruchi Kulbir Singh

Disability-Inclusive Education, World Bank

Ruchi Singh works on Disability-Inclusive Education at the World Bank, where she provides technical support to the growing portfolio of Inclusive Education. Before this, she was the Joseph P. Kennedy International Public Policy Fellow at the Global Partnership for Education as an Education Specialist, supporting the expansion of the thematic area of disability, equity, and inclusion.

Her areas of interest and expertise are equity and inclusion, early childhood development, primary education, inclusive education, qualitative research, teaching, and learning.

Prior to working at the World Bank, Ruchi led the education and research portfolio for Sesame Workshop India, where she developed large-scale education projects. She has worked extensively in India, creating a successful model of Inclusive Schools within the public-school system- transitioning special schools to community-based primary schools. She has degrees in Child Development and master’s degrees in Special Education and Global Health and Development from University College London.

Maria Njeri

Disability rights activist, Kenya

Maria is from Nairobi, Kenya. She is an alumnus of Leonard Cheshire’s 2030 and Counting youth advocacy project, where she is a Lead Citizen Reporter. The project focused on delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by placing youth with disabilities at the heart of issues affecting their lives through leadership and reporter training.

A passionate advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities, Maria facilitates community discussions and uses social media to tackle issues of stigma, diversity, and women’s empowerment in Kenya. Maria is founder of her own NGO, Njeri Maria Foundation, advancing the lives of children and adults with cerebral palsy and their families. She is currently working as a disability Inclusion Facilitator for Light For The World.

Maria is a regular contributor to high-profile disability inclusion panel events, including UNGEI (UN Girls’ Education Initiative), Able Child Africa, among others. Maria’s dream is to inform societies, inspire diversity, influence inclusion and impact change globally.

Jazz Shaban

OPD Engagement manager, Leonard Cheshire

Jazz has 30 years of experience working in grassroots OPD (Organization of Persons with Disabilities) engagement policy and practice in the UK and abroad. She also has lifelong lived experience of disability. Having worked for a range of NGOs, her work has mostly been about promoting and ensuring inclusion, representation and leadership of people with disabilities in development and humanitarian action. Jazz has a background in media and communications and holds a Master’s degree in International Communications and Development. She is also a published author and blogger, writing on disability identity and culture.

Marcie Roth

Trustee, Leonard Cheshire USA and CEO, Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies

Marcie is a leader in disability inclusive emergency management across the US and abroad. Appointed by President Obama to FEMA in 2009, she established and served for 7.5 years as Director of the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination. At FEMA, she transformed emergency management to be inclusive of the rights and needs of the whole community. She has led disability rights and health organizations since 1996 and been consulting with businesses and communities before, during and after disasters since 2001.

Recent publications include a National Council on Disability report to the President and Congress and a report on disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction. Marcie’s US-based work includes two current legislative initiatives on disability, poverty, and healthcare in disasters. She is also a frequent consultant with the United Nations on disability inclusive disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action. Marcie is a Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellow with a BS in Public Safety Administration.

Angela Ciccolo

Trustee, Leonard Cheshire USA and Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Board of Directors, Special Olympics

Angela joined Special Olympics after 10 years with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the US. She served as the NAACP’s General Counsel and Secretary and was the first woman to hold that position in the history of the organization.

Angela is an experienced litigator and a member of the DC, Maryland, and US Supreme Court Bars. She received her JD from Georgetown University and a BS in Foreign Service from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She serves on the Advisory Committee on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Angela has served as an election monitor and speaker on diversity and inclusion in the US and abroad. Angela is an award-winning author and recipient of the Medgar Evers Award of Excellence and the Bar Association of DC’s Annice M. Wagner Pioneer Award.