Conference Planning
For over 15 years, Counterparts' bilingual team has organized conferences of several hundred people from up to 50 countries. Counterparts works with an organization's planning team to design conference agendas, develop workshops, recruit and brief speakers, prepare participant materials, manage hotel logistics, oversee registration, troubleshoot on site, and document results.
International Conferences:Multi-National Congresses Focused on the Inclusion of Young People with Disabilities in National Life (1992-2006):
Working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Counterparts served as the "point" organization to plan and run nine international congresses held in four different countries (the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Norway). Partnering also with USAID, UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved with the human rights of youth with special needs, Counterparts brought together national and local policymakers, ministry officials, health and education specialists, community representatives, family members and young people themselves to discuss policies and programs that promote full participation in society.
Meetings of International Study-Abroad Specialists:
Since 2004, Counterparts has organized biennial meetings for the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), an international student-exchange and study-abroad NGO. ISEP centerpieces a multi-national network of 290 post-secondary institutions in 40 countries that cooperate to provide international educational experiences for their undergraduate and graduate students. Counterparts works with ISEP's staff and Board of Directors to design and run these conferences, including ISEP's 25th Anniversary celebration held in Washington, DC, which drew over 200 study-abroad specialists from around the world.
National Advocacy Meeting —"Proyecto Visión's" Annual Bridges to Employment Conference:
In June 2007, Counterparts organized and led a national bilingual conference held in Miami, FL, for Latinos with disabilities in the U.S. Through hands-on workshops spread over three days, this conference brought together Latinos with disabilities; federal, state, and local government agencies; major corporations (AT&T, SunTrust, and Wachovia); and national and local advocates. Counterparts designed a special workshop for Latino war veterans with disabilities seeking jobs. In attendance as observers were representatives from Latin American countries seeking to duplicate this kind of practical, job-oriented training in their nations. Counterparts developed each workshop, interacted with plenary speakers, negotiated the contract for language translation services, oversaw the meeting, and wrote the final report.
Strategic Planning Retreat for the U.S. National Council on Disability:
Counterparts facilitated a three-day retreat of the U.S. National Council on Disability (NCD) as that organization tried to figure out if its mandate from the U.S. President and Congress to provide national leadership in setting disability policy for this country also means that it has international responsibilities. Counterparts managed discussions of large and small groups and helped the Council both decide on its role and also to come up with recommendations to present to the U.S. Secretary of State. The decisions coming out of this retreat set NCD on a path of working with the United Nations in developing the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities ratified by member countries in 2008.
