Sandra Rhodda part of advisory committee for the Interdependence 2012 Conference and Exposition

NZTRI Research Programme Leader in Access Tourism Sandra Rhodda has been invited to sit on an advisory committee for the Interdependence 2012 Conference and Exposition to be held in Vancouver Canada May 15-18, 2012. The conference will be co-hosted by the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Rick Hansen Institute, and is part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour.

The Tour was undertaken by Hansen when he travelled 40,000 km through 34 countries (including New Zealand) over a period of 26 months. The Tour raised $26 million for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives. The anniversary conference will focus on creating accessible communities and furthering spinal cord injury (SCI) research for a cure. About 3000 delegates from around the world are expected to attend this inaugural event. The accessibility agenda of the program, led by the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), will be centred on the following themes:

- Accessible and inclusive tourism
- Accessible public spaces
- Accessible transportation
- International standards and rating systems
- Legacies of major international sport events
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Rhodda will sit on the Accessibility Program Advisory Committee, and specifically the Sub-Committee related to Accessible and Inclusive Tourism. Delegates will include all levels of government, private sector, tourism industry, transportation industry, sport and recreation industry (inclusive of major sporting events), building and construction industry (e.g., architects, developers, trades people), national and international organizations who impact and are impacted by the field of accessibility and assessments, as well as people with disabilities.

Photo The Rick Hansen Foundation