texture, and the strength of diversity. People with disabilities have been left out of the fabric of international human rights. The result is a hole that makes all our rights weaker. The framework of universal human rights will be stronger when people with disabilities are no longer left out and left behind. We all benefit when people with disabilities stand up for our ideals. That is what the IDRM initiative is all about, and that is exactly what you find inside the cover of this report.

Dr. William Kennedy Smith M.D.

Founder & Chairman of the Board International Disability Network Center for International Rehabilitation July 2004

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