The Institute on Disability and Public Policy at American University is a multidisciplinary, cross-campus research center that creates and disseminates knowledge that enables all persons to participate effectively in local, national, and global governance through the use of accessible information and communication technologies. IDPP leads the AU 2030 Strategic Initiative on Global Disability and Development, and helps to facilitate collaborative research, teaching and outreach programs through its partnerships.

Since 2009, IDPP has been creating groundbreaking, innovative pathways to accessible learning. It built the world's first virtual graduate institute on disability and public policy through the vision and support of The Nippon Foundation.

Our Core Focus Areas:

  • Global, Regional and National Disability Policy

  • Inclusive Sustainable Development

  • Accessible Global Governance

  • Inclusive Cities and Urban Development

  • Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

  • Information and Communication Technologies for Development

  • Accessible Robotics

  • Accessible Cyberlearning

  • Accessibility, Assistive Technologies and Universal Design

Featured
Dr. Derrick Cogburn Participates in Internet Governance Forum 2018

IDPP Executive Director Dr. Derrick Cogburn will be participating and representing IDPP and the Internet Governance Lab at the 13th Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Paris on November 12-14, 2018. The meeting will be hosted by the Government of France at the headquarters of UNESCO.  
Dr. Derrick Cogburn Chairs Disability and Accessibility Session at CSCW Conference

IDPP Executive Director Dr. Derrick Cogburn, Professor in the AU School of International Service and Kogod School of Business, is chairing the Disability and Accessibility session at the 21st ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW) in Jersey City, NJ on Wednesday, November 7, 2018.
IDPP Welcomes New Faculty Associate Dr. Tanja Aho

Dr. Aho discusses her arrival at AU this Fall, what sparked her passion for disability research, as what she hopes to accomplish as a member of IDPP in a recent interview.
IDPP Showcases Research at COSP-11 Side Event on Data, Disability and Development

The AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) is co-sponsoring the Side Event "Data, Disability and Development: Innovative Approaches to Monitoring and Evaluating CRPD Implementation and Disability-Inclusive Development using Big Data Analytics and Text Mining" at the 11th Conference of States Parties (COSP-11) to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at United Nations headquarters in New York on June 13, 2018 from 1:15pm-2:30pm in Room S-2729 in the UN Secretariat Building.

Dr Derrick Cogburn Attending WSIS Forum 2018
Dr Derrick Cogburn Attending WSIS Forum 2018

The annual World Summit on the Information Society Forum (WSIS) represents the world's largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. The 2018 WSIS Forum is being held this week (March 19-23) in Geneva, Switzerland, at the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Centre International des Conférences Genève. Dr Derrick Cogburn, Faculty Co-Director of the Internet Governance Lab (IGL) and Executive Director of the IDPP, is attending the Forum as a speaker, where he will promote the IGL's mission of policy-engaged research on digital infrastructure and governance in support of a free and open Internet.
IDPP Joint Advisory Board Chair Amb. Gallegos Appointed to Serve UN Office in Geneva

IDPP offers its heartfelt congratulations to Amb. Luis Gallegos, chair of the IDPP Joint Advisory Board, for his appointment as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations Office in Geneva by Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno. Amb. Gallegos has a long and distinguished career in diplomacy and advocating for disability rights and human rights, including his role as chair of the UN taskforce that negotiated the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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