To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) is co-sponsoring the Side Event “Accelerating Community Monitoring of Global Disability Rights and Civic Engagement: AI-Enabled Data Dashboards and Mobile Apps” at the 19th Conference of States Parties (COSP-19). Held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on June 9, 2026, the Side Event will run from 10:00 am-11:15 am in Conference Room C.
Led by Executive Director Dr. Derrick Cogburn, the Side Event will feature the re-launch of the updated CRPD mobile application and the launch of the integrated CRPD Disability Rights Data Dashboard. The event will showcase AI-enabled data dashboard tools for communities and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to monitor and evaluate progress toward CRPD implementation and the accessibility and rights of persons with disabilities.
Overview:
Adopted in 2006, the CRPD established a legal framework to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities. Twenty years later, over 190 countries have ratified this landmark convention and committed to periodic reporting processes that attest to their progress in treaty implementation. Covering diverse areas from health to civic engagement, treaty monitoring remains essential to evaluating and advancing disability rights at the global, regional, and national levels. This side event showcases how AI-enabled data dashboards, accessibility mapping, crowd-sourced recreation data, and socio-economic indicators can be used to provide communities with powerful, accessible tools for monitoring and evaluating progress toward CRPD implementation. Building on a decade of work, IDPP has now developed the CRPD Disability Rights Data Dashboard, an AI-driven text mining and NLP integrated platform, and a fully updated CRPD Mobile App. Integrating AI tools and analytics, this side event presents the updated Jooay app and AXS maps accessibility mapping app. The Disability Data Initiative (DDI) at Fordham University has focused on the potential of socio-economic data to illustrate the economic opportunities and challenges faced by persons with disabilities worldwide. During this side event, expert speakers from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), NGOs, and academia will present the latest developments and discuss innovative tools for monitoring the implementation of the CRPD. They will then open the floor for questions and feedback on the data dashboards and apps. Finally, Dr. Cogburn will engage the audience in a demonstration of IDPP’s CRPD Disability Rights Data Dashboard.
Organizers:
Institute on Disability and Public Policy, American University; UNESCO Associate Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, American University; Inclusive Technology and Policy Strategic Research Initiative, American University; Canada Research Chair in Childhood Disability, McGill University; Research Consortium on Disability, Fordham University; AXS Lab, Inc.
Country Co-Sponsor:
Government of Canada
Co-Sponsors:
Internet Governance Lab, American University; Kogod School of Business, American University; School of International Service, American University; Save the Children
Program and Speakers
June 9, 2026, 10:00 am-11:15 am, Conference Room C, United Nations Headquarters, New York City
Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn, Professor of Information Technology & Analytics and Environment, Development & Health at American University’s School of International Service and Kogod School of Business, and Executive Director of the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP).
Explains how IDPP’s hybrid methodology of text mining, NLP, and Generative AI tools can accelerate community monitoring and civic engagement in evaluating CRPD implementation.
Dr. Keiko Shikako, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Childhood Disability: Participation and Knowledge Translation at McGill University.
Examining how AI-driven, crowd-sourced recreation data can address recreational inequities and empower children with disabilities to engage in community programs.
Jason DaSilva, Filmmaker, Disability Rights Advocate, and Founder of AXS Lab.
Presenting AXS Lab’s AXS Map platform, an AI-enabled tool that provides accessibility reviews and ratings of public spaces.
Dr. Sophie Mitra, Professor of Economics at Fordham University, Founding Director of the Research Consortium on Disability, and Principal Investigator of the Disability Data Initiative.
Exploring the potential of socio-economic data to illustrate the economic opportunities and challenges faced by persons with disabilities worldwide, including at regional and national levels.
Jaspreet K. Singh, Co-Founder & Advocacy Strategist, ICAAD
Using AI to detect judicial bias in GBV cases and drive legislative and judicial reform on the ground.
Dr. Maria de Freitas Martinho, Social Affairs Officer, Programme on Disability Section, Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD), UN DESA
Reflective comments on the data dashboards and apps, and leads a moderated discussion