Rehabilitation International

Company introduction

Rehabilitation International (RI) is a worldwide organization comprised of people with disabilities, service providers, government agencies, academics, researchers and advocates working to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. On February 18, 1922, the“International Society for Crippled Children” was established in Ohio, the US. The founding president is Edgar F. Allen. This tiny society then became RI we know today. From 1922 to 2022, RI grew from its small-town roots in the American mid-West to a global network, and from a local organization focusing on children with disabilities to a driving force in promoting international disability inclusion. The International Symbol of Access,which was designed by RI in 1969 and is being applied universally, has contributed to the movement of disability-inclusive development. RI was a leader in the fight for the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and has doubtlessly added momentum to its implementation. In 1951, wheelchair sports were proposed for rehabilitation, leisure and competition, leading eventually to today’s Paralympics. Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) was proposed by RI in1969. RI continued from the 1970’s forward to today to promote and develop the practice of CBR, as one of its key strategies. The first International Abilympics was held in 1981, as an RI’s initiative to support the International Year for Disabled Persons. Zhang Haidi was elected in Poland in 2014 and assumed the RI presidency at the 23rd RI World Congress in 2016. She was re-elected as President at General Assembly in Berlin in 2018. RI established the Global Disability Development Fund and the Africa Fund in 2018 with the support of the Chinese government. In the past four years, the two Funds have sponsored over 30 projects, focusing rehabilitation, inclusive education, vocational training, accessibility, and empowerment of women and girls with disabilities. The two Funds have proved an effective boost to RI’s international influence. RI set up the Award for Outstanding Achievements in 2019, aiming to draw more attention to disability affairs and inspire greater contributions to a more equal, inclusive, and accessible society worldwide. The Award was conferred for the first time in Moscow in November 2019, to Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, the President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly of the United Nations, Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society and Alpha Special School for the Deaf. Working with International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, RI conducted a BEAUTIFUL CRAFTS WORKSHOP project on improving the economic condition of women with disabilities through capacity building on the use of bamboo in Ethiopia. Women with disabilities are subject to double discrimination, and RI has long called on the United Nations to consider the special challenges they face. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, RI extended help through the funds to member organizations worldwide, ensuring that people with disabilities and their families were protected in their communities.