Conference Review: “Achieving Equality in Education: New Challenges and Strategies for Change”: The 12th World Conference and General Assembly of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment:

The International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) is a global association of individuals and organizations that promotes equal access to appropriate education for all visually impaired children and youths so that they may achieve their full potential. ICEVI is a nonprofit organization structured through seven regions worldwide. The president of 1CEVI is Lawrence F. Campbell of the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States, and the secretary general is M. N. G. Mani of Tamil Nadu, India. ICEVI held its 12th World Conference and General Assembly July 16-21,2006, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The organizing committee for the conference was led by Datuk Dr. Ismil Md. Salleh of the Malaysian Association for the Blind. The chairperson of the Scientific Program Committee was Heather Mason of the United Kingdom. The theme of the conference, "Achieving Equality in Education: New Challenges and Strategies for Change," reflects the rationale supporting ICEVI and the World Blind Union (WBU) Position Paper on Inclusive Education of Children with Visual Impairment (available online at: ). This important document affirms the human right of all children who are blind or have low vision to equal access to appropriate quality education as provided for in the following documents: * Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989); available: * World Declaration on Education for All (1990); available: * Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disability (1993);available: * UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994); available: * Dakar Framework for Action (2000); available: PARTICIPANTS, PRESENTATIONS, AND PRESENTERS The ICEVI World Conference and General Assembly became a quadrennial event in 2002; whereas in the past it had been a quinquennial event. The 2006 conference was attended by 1,200 participants representing 96 countries. Each day began with plenary sessions that addressed one of the major threads of the conference. Plenary session presenters included Fred Schroeder of the United States and Charlotte McLain-Nhlap of the Republic of South Africa, who spoke on attitudes and policies; Gregorio Alonso of Spain and Bhushan Punani of India, on human resource development; Jill Keeffe of Australia, Wilfred Maina of Kenya, Lucia Picionne of Argentina, and Peng Zianguang of China, on strategies for change; and Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg of Tibet (Braille without Borders), on personnel. Stephen McCall of the United Kingdom presented a summation of the conference on the final day. Plenary sessions were followed by a total of 100 concurrent sessions, most of which had two or three independent presenters; there were 76 poster sessions by representatives of all seven regions of the world as defined by ICEVI, and half-day workshops with specific objectives and outcomes, all of which focused on one or more of 17 topical areas, including equal access to education; multiple disabilities and visual impairment; service models; personnel preparation; assessment procedures; working with families; life skills, including orientation and mobility; early intervention; life-long learning; assistive technology; multidisciplinary professional collaboration; alternate education models for young adults; educational equity for women and girls; and rebuilding educational systems in countries affected by wars or natural disasters. The majority of the concurrent and poster sessions were research based. …