President: Nawaf Kabbara
President, Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities
Nawaf Kabbara is a well-known leader in the fields of disability, public policy making and leadership of regional and international organizations. He is a wheelchair user, based in Lebanon, and founder of the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD).
Nawaf has been active in all the negotiations for the formation and adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as the discussions and negotiations related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He has been a member of the IDA Board from its foundation period.
In addition to his work in the disability sector, he has worked as an associate professor of political science and international affairs, with 25 years of teaching experience. Besides AOPD, he is also the founder of organizations such as the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS), the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), the National Association for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Lebanon, and the Forum for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In 1987, Nawaf organized a national march by Lebanese persons with disabilities against the war and violence in Lebanon. During the Syrian crisis, he became involved in dealing with the situation of Syrian refugees in general and those with disability in particular. Nawaf is also a writer and has published many articles on disability related issues.
First Vice President: Cato Lie
Cato Lie from Norway was born with Spina Bifida and is a wheelchair user. He has a masters’ degree in business administration (MBA) from Handelsakademiet in Oslo. Since 2002, he has worked for FFO, the Norwegian Federation of Organizations of Disabled People, member of EDF. For the past ten years, he has been responsible for FFOs policy on universal design and accessibility in all areas of society, buildings and housing, transport and ICT. He aims to influence politicians in the Norwegian Government and Parliament on accessibility. Moreover, Cato was previously a board member of the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. Within the IDA Board he represents the Norwegian Spina Bifida Association and shares his experiences from his work at FFO.
Second Vice President: Latoa Halatau-Talagi
Co-chair, Pacific Disability Forum
Latoa was born in Niue Island, and relocated to New Zealand at age 8. It was during a high school rugby game that caused his partial vision loss. Latoa is a founding member of the Pacific Disability Forum established in 2003, and is currently serving as Co-chair. In New Zealand, Latoa is active from the local level as he serves on the branch committee of Auckland Blind Citizens, and at the national level he continues as a member of the national leadership group to work in partnership with government to transform the disability support system.
Latoa is also serving on:
- The World Food Programme’s Asia Pacific Disability Advisory Group, and
- The NZ Health and Disability Commission’s Consumer Advisory Group.
Latoa’s dedication to improving the lives of persons with disabilities was recognised when he received the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for service to the blind and Pacific community in 2015. Latoa is a paralympian, and speaks Niuean and English languages. He qualified in 1985 as a social worker, and manages his own organisation in Auckland that provides supported independent living service since 2003.
Treasurer: Puay Tiak Lim
Chairman, ASEAN Disability Forum
Puay Tiak Lim is a founding member of the ASEAN Disability Forum and presently serves as its Chairman since December 2017. He is also a Board member of the International Disability Alliance (IDA). Puay Tiak has 40 years of working experience in the social service sector of Singapore in a wide range of top and middle management roles. He was employed in the Singapore Civil Service from 1981 to 1995 and was responsible for policies and capability building of the disability services sector.
As a wheelchair user, Puay Tiak aims to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities and empower them to be contributing members of the community.
Secretary General: Bridget Snedden
President, Down Syndrome International
Bridget Snedden, a New Zealander, is the current Down Syndrome International (DSi) President. This global organization works to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome. Bridget joined the DSi Board in 2008 and was Vice Chair for three years before being elected President in 2021. She led the New Zealand Down Syndrome Assoc. from 1993 to 2000. Bridget has extensive Governance experience over the past 30 years, having held positions on local, national, and international NGOs. She has held leadership roles throughout her employment and contributed to advisory groups and boards across the disability sector. In 2022, Bridget was Honoured as an NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) in recognition of her exceptional service to people with learning disabilities and their families.
The birth of her son Alex, born in 1988 with Down syndrome, was the catalyst for her unwavering commitment to removing barriers that would prevent him and others with intellectual disability from living a life of social inclusion on an equal basis as their peers. Bridget has advocated for people with intellectual disability to have access to full inclusion, human rights, and the same opportunities and experiences as every one of the same age to live, work and play in their communities free from discrimination.
Member of the executive committee without portfolio: Fernando Riaño
Vice President, World Blind Union
Fernando Riano is a graduate in Law from the University of Navarra; father of three and has spent part of his professional career in the world of legal advice, consultancy, training and the financial sector. He has experience in small, medium and large companies, especially in the international field. He also holds an MBA and is Alumni of the Harvard Kennedy School (John F. Kennedy School of Government).
He is a regular contributor and lecturer in various specialized publications, universities and business schools. He was awarded the "Young Management Talent" prize by the Prince of Girona Foundation (being the first person with a disability to receive this award), and is part of the "Economic Leaders for Tomorrow" ranking. In August 2016, representing ONCE, he was elected vice-president of the World Blind Union at the general assembly held in Orlando.
In January 2019, he was appointed Director of Institutional Relations and Sustainability (ESG) of the ONCE Social Group by the General Council, currently Director of Institutional Relations and Sustainability of the ONCE Social Group. In the sporting sphere, he has been champion of the triathlon World Cup for people with disabilities on six occasions.
Member of the executive committee without portfolio: Sanja Tarczay
President, World Federation of the Deafblind
Dr. Sanja Tarczay is a Deafblind Woman who is a founder and a current president of the Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons "Dodir. She is the creator of one of the first Croatian Sign Language courses in Croatia, courses for SSPs, courses for Deafblind interpreters and she is the founder of the Croatian Sign Language Interpreting Centre. Since 2008, she is the head of the practicum for the subject of Deafblindness at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, and a lecturer on the subject of Sign Language at the University of Applied Health Studies at University of Zagreb. She also held lectures at numerous other universities, nationally and internationally as a guest lecturer. She has published several expert and research papers and articles, both as a sole contributor and as a co-author. From 2013 to 2022, Sanja was the president of the European Deafblind Union (EDbU), and she was also a member of the Grant-making committee of the Disability Rights Fund (DRF). Sanja is the president of the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB) since October 2022, an active member in the OPD Steering Group of International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), participant in the OHCHR Community 2030 Initiative and IDA board member.
Carole Willans
President, International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH)
Carole Williams resides in Ottawa, Canada, and has previously served as General Secretary of IFHOH as well as holding other elected and administrative positions. She is a lawyer by training and is bilingual, fluent in English and French.
Idriss Maiga
Chairperson, African Disability Forum
Idriss Maïga Alzouma is from Niger. He is married and the father of 13 children (including 4 adopted). As a young child, he had polio. He graduated from the 3rd cycle (Baccalauréat + 6 years of studies) from the National School of Administration and Magistrature, and is now the Chief Inspector of Taxes at the General Direction of Taxes – the head of the tax center of Tillabéri (which is a region located 120 km from Niamey). Idriss has been committed to the voluntary movement of people with disabilities since the 2000s, which become a priority in 2006/2007. He then started working with the West African movement through the relaunch of the activities of the West African Federation of Disabled (WAFOD). Idriss became the President of WAFOD in December 2011. He is also now the President of the African Disability Forum and before that held the position of Vice President.
Sue Swenson
President, Inclusion International
Sue Swenson is President of Inclusion International, the global network of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families. Sue has served United States Presidents Biden, Obama, and Clinton in disability appointments. Sue learned about rights from her middle son Charlie, who lived for 30 years with profound disabilities, was included in neighborhood schools, and lived in the community. Sue was educated at the University of Chicago, and she holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Joseph Murray
President, World Federation of the Deaf
Dr. Joseph J. Murray is President of the World Federation of the Deaf. He is also a member of the IDA Inclusive Education Task Team and served on the official Norwegian government commission for sign language. Dr. Murray has 25+ years of international disability rights experience, has attended numerous UN meetings, and has worked as a presenter and advisor to governments, NGOs and deaf and disability communities in over 50 different countries. Dr. Murray is Professor of Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University and has published widely in the areas of human rights, linguistic rights, and Deaf Studies.
Klaus Lachwitz
Board Member, European Disability Forum
Klaus Lachwitz was the Director of the Legal Department of Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe (Federal German DPO for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families) in Berlin, Germany from 1981 to 2008. He then became the Executive Director until 2011. He was a member of the Council of The International League of Societies for Persons with Mental Handicap in Brussels, Belgium (ILSMH) from 1986 to 1998 and a member of the Board of Inclusion Europe from 1998 to 2002. Since 2013 Klaus has been a member of the Board of the European Disability Forum (EDF), Brussels, Belgium, representing the German Disability Forum. From 2010 to 2018 he was the President of Inclusion International. He has been a member of IDA’s board since 2011 and was IDA’s Secretary General from 2014 to 2021.
Juan Ángel De Gouveia Fernández
Juan Ángel De Gouveia Fernández was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He is a Deaf person, Human Rights Defender, emphasizing persons with disabilities. From 2001 to 2003, he was UNICEF Global Representative for Children with Disabilities. He was the President of the World Federation of the Deaf, youth section, from 2007 to 2011. Subsequently, he was Vice President in Charge of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (CONAPDIS), until 2013. In 2015, he won the "Teapot Diplomat" Prize of the United States Department of State and in 2016 he was selected as student of the month of September in the "International Leadership Program for Visitors - Global Social Impact”, of the United States Department of State. Since 2017 he has been Vice President of RIADIS (Latin American and Caribbean Network of Persons with Disabilities and their Families). Since 2018, he has been accredited as an expert member by civil society before the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (CEDDIS) of OAS. Currently, he is a member of the board of directors of IDA, member of the board of directors of the World Federation of the Deaf and serves as president of the Deaf Confederation of Venezuela and director of the Vanessa Peretti Foundation. Since December 2021, he has been the President of RIADIS.
Daniel Mwesigwa IGA
Board Member, World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry
Daniel is a person with a lived experience of Psychosocial disability since 1976 when he first had a mental health condition. He lived positively, against all odds of discrimination in society, institutions of learning, and later at work places.
He began working in disability activism in 2001 when he was elected as the National General Secretary for Mental Health Uganda (MHU). He was on the Board of Directors of the World Network of Users/Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP) after the General Assembly in 2002. He co-founded the Pan African Network of Users/Survivors of Psychiatry (PANUSP), participated in the negotiations of the UNCRPD from the 3rd to the 8th Ad hoc Committees and was on the Steering Committee of the International Disability Caucus (IDC). In 2018 Daniel was nominated to replace the Co-chair on the IDA Board and re-nominated in 2021 to continue the representation. He trained in Bridge CRPD/SDGs 1 & 2 and later in December 2021 as a Trainer of Trainers. He is a co-founder and on the Board of My Story Initiative (MSI), a national peer support and advocacy initiative for persons with Psychosocial disabilities.