Disabled Peoples ' International Asia-Pacific

19/08/2025

DPI Korea will host a 3-day international seminar between Korea and New Zealand to discuss the effective participation and sound initiatives of OPDs in the monitoring process of the CRPD on 25-27 August 2025.

07/06/2025

07/06/2025

Side Event at the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD (Hybrid)
“Making Disability Visible During Humanitarian Crises, Including Armed Conflict, Climate Change and Natural Disasters”

Organized by:
Disabled Peoples’ International Europe
Disabled Peoples’ International Asia Pacific
Disabled Peoples International Korea

Sponsored by:
Ministry of Health and Welfare of Republic of Korea
International Disability Alliance

Date and Place:
Date: 16:55~18:00 11th June 2025 (EST)
Venue: New York Korean Culture Centre New York/ 5th Floor Conference Room
(Address: 122 E 32nd St. New York NY 10016)

Zoom Webinar Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86127388863?pwd=CKyZ3H6xl5MlhpimhgFx5bzVomtiLl.1

Moderator: Eun Jung Kim (Team Manager of International Relations of DPI KOREA)

Program:
1. Welcome statement
- Mr. Setareki Macanawi , Member of International Disability Alliance and Representing Pacific Disability Forum
2. Presentations
- Mr. Jean Luc Simon, Chairperson of Disabled Peoples' International Europe
- Ms.Maria-Victoria Trumper, Member of Disabled Peoples' International Europe
- Mr. Kim Young Wook, Secretary General of Disabled Peoples’ International Korea
- Mr. Waqar Puri, Director of Programs and Operation TCI Global Secretariat
3. Questions and Answer session
4. Closing statements

06/06/2025

20/04/2025

A Voice for All, A Legacy of Empowerment

Today, on what would have been Ron Chandran-Dudley’s birthday, we celebrate his extraordinary legacy as a pioneering advocate for persons with disabilities. His dedication to accessibility, inclusion, and equal rights transformed countless lives and laid the foundation for disability advocacy in Singapore.

At DPA, we are proud to continue Ron’s mission—ensuring that every person with a disability has a voice and the opportunity to thrive. His vision lives on in the work we do today.

Let’s honour Ron’s legacy by championing inclusion in our own communities. Share your stories, support advocacy efforts, and help build a future where no one is left behind.

[Image of Ron Chandran-Dudley with white hair and sunglasses, wearing a dark suit, a patterned tie, and a medal pinned to his lapel. He stands against a light blue and green abstract background with curved, organic shapes. The Disabled People’s Association (DPA) logo is in the top right corner. The text at the bottom reads: "A Voice for All – A Legacy of Empowerment."]

17/04/2025

【中西さんのお別れ会についてのお願い】

関係各位
先日お伝えしたとおり、４月２６日（土）に
京王プラザホテル八王子にて「中西正司さん　お別れの会」を
開催いたします。
つきましては、みなさんに【お願い】と【アクセスのご案内】を申し上げます。

【お願い】
当日は来場された方に会場でメッセージや、ビデオ・写真等を
見て頂こうと考えております。

そこでみなさんにお願いがあります。

１.メッセージをお寄せ下さい。
メッセージをお書き下さい。
中西との出会い、思い出、こんなことを言ってた、などなど、
メッセージをお送り下さい。
字数制限はありません。

２.写真
日本全国、世界各国で活動していた故人ですので、
事務所以外にもたくさんの写真等があると思います。
みなさんがお持ちの中西の写真を送ってください。
（できれば何年頃どこでの写真かキャプションをお書きください）

３．ビデオメッセージを募集します。
当日、駆けつけたいがどうしても日程的にむずかしい方、
遠方でいらっしゃるのがむずかしい方、
動画にてビデオメッセージをお送り下さい。
（容量の関係で、１分以内。横長アングルで撮影のもの）

上記３つについて、
下記に送信用のフォームを作成しました。
どれか１つでもかまいません。
（日本語）https://forms.gle/9WXUBam7RGkVZzhG9
（英語）https://forms.gle/YEibi3KZF4nw53W7A
4/23(水)17:00まで募集いたします。
よろしくお願いいたします。

【アクセスのご案内】
遠方からのアクセスについては
京王プラザホテル八王子のホームページをご覧下さい。
https://www.keioplaza.co.jp/hachioji/access/
駐車場については主催側では準備しておりません。
ホテルの案内をご覧ください。
（ホテルに車いす駐車場はありますが、数に限りがあります）

またJR八王子駅～会場、京王八王子駅～会場　の　車いすでのアクセスルート、
館内車いすトイレについて、下記の動画にまとめましたので
参考にしてください。
https://youtu.be/bXFGPu-P3I4?si=zVifxm0r6qqIvptV
　0:00～　JR八王子駅から
　2:28～　京王八王子駅から
　4:37～　京王プラザホテル八王子館内案内
本メールにつきまして、関係のみなさまやSNS等
拡散していただけると幸いです。
どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

To whom it may concern
As we informed you recently, “Farewell Party for Mr. Shoji Nakanishi” will be held on April 26 (Sat.) at
Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji
We would like to make a request to everyone and provide information on access to the venue.
We would like to ask you to please visit
to view messages, videos, photos, etc. at the venue on the day of the event.
We would like to ask a favor of you.

１. Please send your message to
, such as how you met Nakanishi, your memories, what he said to you, etc. There is no limit to the number of characters you can write.
There is no limit to the number of characters.

2. Photos
As the deceased was active throughout Japan and around the world, we are sure that there are many photos of Nakanishi other than those at
office.
Please send us any photos of Nakanishi that you have.
(If possible, please write the caption of the year and the place where the photo was taken.

3.
If you would like to come on the day of the event but are unable to make it, or if you are too far away to come to
, please send us a video message at (Due to the capacity of the video, it will not be longer than 1 minute.
（Please send us your video message. (Due to space limitations, please send us a video message of no longer than 1 minute, shot from a horizontal angle.
For the above three videos, we have created a form for sending them to
You can send any one of them.
(Japanese) https://forms.gle/9WXUBam7RGkVZzhG9
(English) https://forms.gle/YEibi3KZF4nw53W7A
We will accept submissions until 17:00 on Wednesday, April 23.
Please apply by 17:00 on April 23 (Wed.).
Access】

Please refer to the website of Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji at
for access from distant places.
Please refer to the hotel's website for access information. https://www.keioplaza.co.jp/hachioji/access/
Parking is not provided by the organizer.
Please refer to the hotel's information.
(The hotel has wheelchair parking, but the number is limited.)

Also, please refer to the following video for wheelchair access routes from JR Hachioji Station to the venue and from Keio Hachioji Station to the venue.
The wheelchair restrooms in the hotel are summarized in the following video.
https://youtu.be/bXFGPu-P3I4?si=zVifxm0r6qqIvptV
0:00~ from JR Hachioji Station
2:28~ from Keio Hachioji Station
4:37~ Guide to Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji
We would appreciate it if you could spread this email to everyone concerned, SNS, etc. We would appreciate it if you could spread this e-mail to everyone concerned and on social networking sites.
Thank you very much for your cooperation.

02/04/2025

Obituary

To our friends in DPI Asia Pacific and all colleagues in the disability rights movement,

On the 26th of March, 2025, at 4:19 a.m., former DPI Asia Pacific Regional Chairperson Shoji Nakanishi peacefully passed away and ascended to heaven. On behalf of DPI Asia Pacific, we extend our heartfelt condolences.

Shoji founded Japan's first Independent Living Center, “Human Care Association,” in Hachioji, Tokyo, in 1986. After serving as Chairperson of DPI-Japan, he became a Regional Council Member at the DPI Asia Pacific General Assembly held in Jakarta in 1994, marking the beginning of his full-scale involvement in the global DPI movement. Later, in 2002, he was elected Regional Chairperson of DPI Asia Pacific and led the disability rights movement in the Asia-Pacific Region for a long period of 22 years until his retirement in 2024.

From the late 1990s to around the year 2000, Shoji led a reform of DPI Asia Pacific. This included ushering in a generational change among the leaders attending the DPIAP Council and relocating the Regional Development Office to Bangkok, Thailand, where the United Nations ESCAP and other international agencies are located.

As Regional Chairperson of DPIAP, he devoted himself to spreading the Independent Living Movement throughout the Asia-Pacific region—a mission that was his life’s work. Building upon his earlier work in Korea, he successfully helped establish Independent Living Centers in Thailand from 2002 as one of the first projects of Asia Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD). The movement then expanded to various countries across Asia. In 2013, the Human Care Association began a Center for Independent Living initiative in South Africa.

Before Shoji and his colleagues in Thailand began the Independent Living project in Thailand, it was widely believed that independent living was a concept applicable only to developed countries. Through his leadership, Shoji dismantled the divide between developed and developing countries and demonstrated to the world that the right to live based on one’s own will, with necessary support in the community rather than in institutions, is a universal right. This principle is firmly embedded in Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which stands as one of its major pillars.

From the mid-2010s, DPIAP faced significant organizational challenges. Even amid such difficulties, Shoji, along with many colleagues, successfully organized the DPIAP General Assembly in Tokyo in 2016, continuing to call for unity in the movement. While the path to full consolidation of the organization is still ongoing, we will carry forward the reconstruction of the DPI movement that Shoji so passionately hoped for.

We have been informed by our friends in Japan that a memorial gathering for Shoji will be held at the end of this month. Once the details are confirmed, DPIAP will also reach out to all of you.

We sincerely pray for Shoji’s peaceful rest.

DPIAP will never forget Shoji. His legacy will be carried on by the succeeding generations of leaders.

April 2, 2025

Young Suk, LEE
Regional Chairperson
Disabled Peoples’ International Asia Pacific

first photo courtesy of www.independentliving.org
other photos courtesy of DPI-Korea and DPIAP

19/02/2025

Self-introduction of DPIAP Executives (6)
Mr. Norman Yulian
Regional Treasurer
Elected (New) in September 2024
Representing PERKUMPULAN PENYANDANG DISABILITAS INDONESIA (Indonesia)
-----------------------

My name is Norman Yulian. I have been serving as the chairman of the Indonesian Association of Persons with Disabilities (Perkumpulan Penyandang Disabilitas Indonesia – PPDI) since 2022.

Before PPDI, I was appointed as the director of the Indonesian Institute for Educational Studies and Development. I also worked at the Red Production Company as the General Manager and later became a journalist for 11 years. I was also the chief editor of the Red and White Tabloid. In 2022, I have also managed to establish a media and news company and have been serving as one of the commissioners. The company is actively spreading and raising awareness of disability rights development in the country.

17/12/2024

Self-introduction of DPIAP Executives (5)

Mr. Wong Yoon Loong
Regional Deputy-Chairperson (Southeast Asia Subregion)
Elected (New) in September 2024
Representing Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled (Malaysia)

-----------------------
Mr. Wong Yoon Loong is currently the executive director, National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM). He is 1 of four (4) representatives from Malaysia to the World Blind Union (WBU) and has been appointed as the Chair of the ICT and Consumer Products Committee for World Blind Union Asia-Pacific (WBUAP). . In September 2024, he was elected as the Deputy Chair of Disabled People’s International Asia-Pacific (DPIAP) for the ASEAN Region.

He is also the President of the Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled and the Deputy President of the Malaysian Council for Rehabilitation (MCR). He has vast experience in work for the blind and persons with disabilities especially in the areas of special education, employment, ICT, accessibility, audio description, advocacy, empowerment and public awareness.
He was been appointed as a member of the National Council for Persons With Disabilities 2021-2023. He is a member of the Committee on Accessibility and Universal Design, Registration and Committee On Quality Life Care set up under the National Council for Persons With Disabilities.
In August 2023, He was appointed as the National Consultant for the Midterm Assessment of the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025.

He has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from University of Malaya. He has been awarded the Person With Disability Activist 2022 by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. He and his wife Christina has been awarded the Takeo Iwahashi Award 2013 by the Nippon Light House in recognition of his outstanding services for the blind and visually impaired in the Asia-Pacific Region.

17/12/2024

Self-introduction of DPIAP Executives (4)
Mr. Shafiq ur Rehman
Secretary
Elected (Re-elected) in September 2024
Representing Milestone (Pakistan)

----------------
My name is Shafiq ur Rehman, and I am from Pakistan. I am 47 years old with 31 years of experience in the disability and development sector. I have been honored with the Pakistan National Award and the prestigious Foreign Ministry Award from the Government of Japan.

I have been working with Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) for the past 25 years.

17/12/2024

WHO is conducting a Global Survey on Access to Assistive Devices.

(Quote from WHO's site)
In 2018, the World Health Assembly recognized the need for better access to assistive technology through its first resolution on the topic. This led to the 2022 Global report on assistive technology by WHO and UNICEF, which highlighted the need, barriers to access, and provided ten key recommendations.

Since then, there has been a growing interest for detailed guidance on how to implement these recommendations. In response, WHO and UNICEF are developing a road map to guide efforts across governments, organizations, and communities.

This survey will help shape the roadmap. We invite everyone interested in assistive technology to participate, including assistive technology users, policy makers, government and non-government service providers, product designers and manufacturers, educators, development partners, researchers, advocates, donors and more.

You have completed % of this survey % Global survey on access to assistive technology Language: English - English Русский - Russian عَرَبيْ - Arabic 简体中文 - Chinese (Simplified) English - English Español - Spanish Français - French Português - Portuguese Caution: JavaScript e...

12/12/2024

Self-Introduction of DPIAP Executives (3)

Mr. Abdus Sattar Dulal
Regional Deputy Chairperson, DPIAP (South Asia Subregion)
Elected (re-elected) in September 2024
Representing BPKS (Bangladesh)
---------------

I am Abdus Sattar Dulal, born in 1960 in Bangladesh. In 1975, I experienced a life-changing accident that left me using a wheelchair. Since then, I have dedicated my life to advancing the rights and sustainable development of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

I founded 30 OPDs/CSOs and developed the PwDs Self-Initiative to Development (PSID) approach which is a PwDs-driven, rights-based, holistic development approach. I currently serve as the Executive Director of BPKS, President of NADPO, Global Advisor on rights and sustainable development and Bangladesh representative of the Billion Strong Organization of USA, DPI AP Vice-chairperson and was Global Secretary of Disabled Peoples International (DPI), among other roles.

My advocacy has taken me to 71 countries, where I have contributed to key policies and initiatives for the rights and sustainable development of PwDs. I am honoured with several recognitions including UNESCAP Disability Rights Champion, and I’ve also achieved awards in wheelchair racing and chess.

Feel free to connect me via: Email: championdulal@gmail.com, facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abdussattar.dulal,
LinkedIn: Abdus Sattar Dulal