Neil Squire Society's Dr. Gary Birch to Co-Chair Roundtable 3 at the 9th Session of the Conference of State Parties at the United Nations


BURNABY, BC--(Marketwired - June 13, 2016) - Dr. Gary Birch, Officer of the Order of Canada, and a recognized global expert on the impact of assistive technology for people with disabilities, will be co-chairing Roundtable 3: Enhancing accessibility to information and technology and inclusive development, at the 9th session of the Conference of States Parties (CoSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Mr. Paweł Radomski, Deputy Permanent Representative of Poland to the United Nations will be co-chairing Roundtable 3 with Dr. Birch.

The conference takes place from June 14-16, 2016 at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City, New York, and will be held under the theme "Implementing the 2030 development agenda for all persons with disabilities: Leaving no one behind".

Dr. Birch was nominated by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and selected by the Civil Society Coordination Mechanism, which comprises a number of organizations of persons with disabilities, NGOs, and other stakeholders. He will represent civil society around the world at this Roundtable.

Dr. Birch is the Executive Director of the Neil Squire Society. He leads the work of the Society's R&D group and is currently a member of no less than 14 active committees that have mandates from social inclusion to active professional standards organizations. This work goes towards helping governments, professional bodies and other agencies in their understanding of the needs of people with disabilities. Dr. Birch's input is sought at every level and every sector in our economy and covers such areas as tax measures for people with disabilities; Elections Canada; federal labour market advisory boards; the BC Ministers Council on Employment and Accessibility; the BC Centre for Employment Excellence Steering Committee and many more.

Technology is a key part of Neil Squire Society's mission statement, and is integrated throughout their programming. Their R&D group has built a strong international reputation for their work in creating technologies and solutions to enable people with disabilities to achieve their potential in educational, vocational and personal pursuits. The R&D group pro-actively facilitates the development of technologies, both mainstream and specialized, that enable persons with disabilities to fully access opportunities in our society.

About Neil Squire Society

Neil Squire Society is the only not-for-profit organization in Canada that for over 32 years has used technology, knowledge and passion to empower Canadians with disabilities. The Society has developed innovative programs and services and some of the world's leading edge assistive technology for people with disabilities. More than 35,000 people with disabilities in Canada have benefited from the work of the Society. With over seventy-five staff, Neil Squire Society has offices and provides services to Canadians in Vancouver, Regina, Ottawa, and Fredericton, as well as to many small communities across Canada via distance education.

Distribution of this press release was generously donated by Marketwired.

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Contact Information:

For further information, please contact:
Suzanne Wiens
604.473.9363

Dr. Gary Birch, Executive Director, Neil Squire Society