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NMC leads int’l congress on disability
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Posted on Sep 24 2004
The Northern Marianas College spearheaded an international conference on disability, which drew over 300 participants from different Asia-Pacific countries.
The 3rd Joint International Congress on Disability and Biophilia Rehabilitation Conference was held in the Philippines from Sept. 16 to 18 at the Pearl Manila Hotel. The event was sponsored by the NMC Disability Support Services and the Biophilia Rehabilitation Academy of Japan, in cooperation with Medical Center Manila.
Celia Lamkin, NMC counselor and disability services coordinator, said the conference was very successful. She said it served as an “eye-opener” for the participants, which included physicians, nurses, professors, researchers, speech pathologists, employers, government policymakers, and persons with disabilities and their families, among others.
Aside from the CNMI, countries represented in the conference were Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palau, and Guam.
Lamkin, who coordinated the event, said the first international congress on disability was held on Saipan in 2002. It was followed by a similar conference last year in Canada.
According to the event program, the conference aimed to introduce continuing interdisciplinary research and recent research in the rehabilitation of people with disabilities and the elderly.
Other objectives include: [1] to determine the current status of rehabilitation of people with disabilities and the elderly; [2] to discuss best practices and policies for inclusion of people with disabilities at home, school, work, and the community; and [3] to bring awareness about the different types of disabilities.
During the conference, speakers from around the world discussed topics such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, assistive technology, and different types of disability. There were also exhibits on sports, exercise aid, assistive technology devices, etc.
