News
Members of Inclusion China Visit the Charles River Center
12/12/16
Charles River Center, Needham
This October, we were honored to have a group of parent
leaders from China visit the Charles River Center to learn more about advocacy for
those with developmental disabilities and organizational development to support
them. These parent advocates, members of
Inclusion China, visited in conjunction with The Harvard Law School Project on
Disability. They were in the United States on their way to the Shaping the Future National Convention & International Forum in Orlando, Florida.
The Harvard Law School Project on Disability (HPOD) “works to promote the human rights of people with disabilities worldwide. HPOD supports the development of disability civil society, informs innovative legislative and policy development, provides legal advice and human rights training to persons with disabilities, their representative organizations, non-governmental organizations, National Human Rights Institutions, and governments.”
After a tour of Employment & Day Services and Day
Habilitation, the listened to a presentation from Charles River Center senior
managers focused on advocacy and person-centered planning. They discussed developing a vision for a
program, establishing family supports, and making connections in the community,
among many other topics.
The visitors were very appreciative of their time at Charles River. Said Dr. Fengming Cui, Director of the China Program Harvard Law School Project on Disability, “The parents could not stop thinking what they should take back for more cohesive and consistent advocacy and sustainable organizational development. Some of them said that they had an eye-opening experience that caused them to reflect and re-envision their work.”
Jessica Dai, President of Inclusion China wrote, “We were deeply impressed by your organization’s professional leadership, staff’s working attitudes and the result of your good work, which is built on the vision of the individuals. In China, we still have a long journey to enable us to achieve the results you manage today, but we are very optimistic since your experience provided us a good reference and roadmap.”
All who attended were inspired by the cross-cultural
exchange of ideas, and we hope to continue the collaboration in the future.