OAS and AUI Launch Project to Improve Access to Educational Resources for Persons with Disabilities

The Organization of American States (OAS) and Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) are launching a joint project to create an online repository of resources that make teaching and learning more accessible for persons with disabilities.

The launch of the project includes a three-month survey of those who produce or use existing teaching and learning resources for persons with disabilities. The OAS, through its Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity, and AUI will use the results of the survey to develop a searchable resource portal accessible to the public by end of summer 2020.

The project responds to the situation facing persons with disabilities in educational systems in the Americas, in which many are segregated, rejected, objectified, ignored and/or left behind. According to UNICEF, UNESCO, and World Bank studies, on average only 20% of children and young persons with disabilities attend school worldwide. In the Americas, seven out of ten children with disabilities do not attend school, and more than 8 million are at risk of being excluded from the system. This constitutes a systematic violation of the right to education. Through this project OAS and AUI will raise awareness of, and increase access to teaching and learning resources for this vulnerable community.

In Other News…

Big Astronomy Planetarium Show Premiers September 26

Big Astronomy planetarium show premiers September 26 Turn your phone into a planetarium with innovative and immersive 360° streaming San Francisco – The Big Astronomy worldwide premiere is coming soon to a smart phone or connected device near you! On September 26 at...

ALMA Discovers Misaligned Rings in Planet-Forming Disk Around Triple Stars

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), two teams of astronomers have for the first time discovered a planet-forming disk with misaligned rings around a triple star system, called GW Orionis. The astronomers give two possible scenarios for the...

Why North Carolina Outsourced Election Cybersecurity to a ‘CISO-as-a-Service’

The following is press coverage on Woodstar Labs' involvement with North Carolina's election security, courtesy of statescoop.com. Faced with mounting cybersecurity needs headed toward the presidential election, but lacking the financial resources to build out a more...

A Cyber-Risk We’re Not Prepared For: What if the Power Grid Collapsed and America Went Dark?

The following is press coverage on the NCGR's new report, courtesy of washingtonpost.com. EVERY CATASTROPHE comes as a shock, but many shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just as we knew a pandemic was a possibility yet failed to plan for it, power-grid collapse is a threat...

Grid Security And Cyber Defense Cannot Fall On Deaf Ears, Experts Warn

The following is press coverage on the NCGR's new report, courtesy of Forbes.com. If the electrical grid is knocked out for long periods, the damage to the American economy would be insurmountable. And the country’s enemies know that. That is why its brain trust is...

Coverage on National Commision on Grid Resilience’s (NCGR) Latest Report

The following is press coverage on the NCGR's new report, courtesy of UtilityDive.com. Dive Brief: A new report from the National Commission on Grid Resilience (NCGR) calls for declassifying and giving utilities greater access to information about threats...

Woodstar Labs Welcomes New Wave of Cyber Analysts

Woodstar Labs, a subsidiary of AUI focused on cutting-edge-cybersecurity solutions, microelectronics, eLearning, and STEM education welcomes a new cohort of Cyber Analysts. Woodstar labs is excited to work with this talented group of young professionals as we continue...

AUI Statement on Racial Equity

As the nation continues to mourn and respond to the unjust death of George Floyd, there is no doubt that violent race-related incidents and the subsequent protests and clashes are the most urgent need for us as a society to address. Further, to address them, we must...

2020 AUI Scholarship Winners

Below are the winners of the 2020 AUI Scholarship conducted by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. These students will each receive an award of $3,500 per year to aid in defraying expenses at the college or university of their choice. Lexington Miller...

Big Astronomy Wins Big

Big Astronomy wins “Best Astronomy Education” Award in the Dome Under Fulldome Film Festival. Melbourne: The Dome Under Fulldome Film Festival hosted its first planetarium film fest in Melbourne, Australia, on February 8 – 9. Big Astronomy: People Places Discoveries,...