On September 3 2022, Dr. Lynn Rose, CGDS Director of Disability Studies, provided a full-day workshop, “How to Achieve Inclusive Education: A Legal Basis in KRG.” The workshop, organized by the Halabja Disability Organization and funded by the Finnish organization Fida, trained 13 Directors of Education from Halabja and Penjwen, along with the supervisor of the directors. The workshop focused on disability justice, specifically the right to an education as outlined in the UNCRPD (the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, signed by the Federal Government of Iraq in 2013) and in the Kurdish Law 22, signed in 2013. The trainees participated in various exercises and discussions about disability rights as civil rights, and about how to implement inclusive education. The workshop was held at the Ramada Hotel in Sulaimani. Ms. Shabang Sardar, CGDS Translator, provided translation of the written materials as well as consecutive and simultaneous translation for the workshop. Several staff members of HDO also assisted. We thank the Halbaja Disability Organization and Fida for inviting us to participate in their efforts to further the educational rights of people with disabilities.
Image description: A circular logo shows a black wheelchair symbol against a stylized rendition of the Halabja Monument in white. The background is blue. The outer circle has Kurdish writing on top and English on the bottom, in black font against a white background, spelling Halabja Disabled Organization.