Position Name Profile
Acting Chairperson and Deputy Chair 1 Henrietta Davis-Wray Mrs. Henrietta Davis-Wray is a Justice of the Peace; and is a graduate of the Jamaica Commercial Institute, School of Business Education and the Management Institute for National Development. She is one of the founding members of the Combined Disabilities Association (CDA), an organisation that advocates for the rights and development of persons with disabilities. Mrs. Davis-Wray is on the Board of CDA and has also served as the Chairperson of the organization for 2 consecutive terms. As a long-serving member, she has been instrumental in several of its advocacy achievements. Mrs. Davis-Wray has served on various Government Committees, including the National Advisory Board on Disability. She is recognized as a specialist in the requirements for physical accessibility and is called upon occasionally to inspect buildings for renovations and provide guidance to contractors and engineers.
Deputy Chair 2 Sylvana El Lakkis Ms. Lakkis is the Chair of the Arab Forum for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (AFRPD), and the President of Disabled People’s International (DPI) Arab Region. She is also the President and CEO of the Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union (LPHU). Ms. Lakkis has led a series of campaigns for promoting rights of persons with disabilities in Lebanon, particularly for the enforcement of the Lebanese Disability Law; the ratification of CRPD; and promoting disability inclusion mainly in the areas of environmental accessibility, employment, inclusive education, political participation, and access to information. Between the years 2008 to 2012, she was appointed as a disability advisor for the Minister of Social Affairs in Lebanon. Ms. Lakkis is also recognized as a disability rights expert internationally by several agencies such as the International Labour Organization, The Employers Forum on Disability, The Zero Project Initiative, Civicus, The World Congress on Inclusive Tourism, and many others. She has spoken at major regional and international events and has also authored many articles and book chapters on issues of disability inclusion.
Secretary Ayassou Komivi Mr. Komivi has a Bachelors’ degree in English and a Masters’ degree in Public Law from the University of Lomé (Togo). A visually impaired person, Mr. Komivi is a disability rights activist and is well known at the regional and international circles. Currently, he is the Chairperson of Togo Blind Association, Chair of the Board of the Togo Federation of the Associations of Persons with Disabilities, the Secretary General of West African Federation of Disabled, the member of the Executive Council of the African Disability Forum representing the minority groups and elderly people, member of the Management Committee of ICEVI Africa and the West African administrator of the Francophone Union of the Blind. Professionally, he is serving as a Civil Servant at the Department in charge of the persons with disabilities within the Togo Ministry of Social Action, Empowerment of Women and Literacy.
Treasurer Shudarson Subedi Mr. Subedi is a leading international disability and human rights promoter. He is credited with pioneering the trend of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) in the area of disability rights in Nepal that have benefitted persons with disabilities across the country. Mr. Subedi is the Chairperson of Disabled People’s International (DPI) South Asia, and Vice Chairperson of DPI Asia Pacific region. He is the Founder President of Disabled Human Rights Centre, Nepal (DHRC-Nepal). He is also the Ex-President of National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) and is an expert on training on disability and human rights promotion and protection, supporting people with disabilities through legal aid, and liaising with international organizations, among others. He has recently led the campaign for inclusion of disability in the new Nepalese Constitution for greater political participation of people with disabilities. Mr. Subedi has several awards to his name, including the Champions of Change award from the government of Nepal (2005), and the UNESCAP disability rights promoter award (2012). He is also an Ashoka fellow.
Information Officer Trevor Carroll Mr. Carroll is a trained musician and former Secondary College Principal. He holds a Masters in Education and has completed this thesis focusing on intellectual disability and music education. Mr. Carroll acquired an incomplete spinal cord injury in the mid 1990’s and has since experienced disability discrimination first-hand. He uses his lived experience in his role as CEO of Disability Justice Australia to protect the rights of people with disability under the UNCRPD. Currently, he is also the Vice Chairperson & International Coordinator for Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO). Mr. Carroll is passionate about protecting and enhancing the human rights of people with disabilities.
Deputy Chairperson (Human Rights) Ekaete Judith Umoh Ms. Umoh is an international disability rights advocate, a social inclusion expert, particularly on gender, disability and development issues. She has served as disability and social development consultant to a few international development agencies, helping them include issues of people with disabilities in their programmes and projects. Currently, Ms. Umoh is on the Board of African Disability Forum representing interest of women with disabilities; Member UN Women CSO Advisory Group, Nigeria; Ex-Board Member of Women Trust Fund Nigeria; National President of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD); Founder and Executive Director, Family Centered Initiative for Challenged Persons (FACIP); among others. A social inclusion expert, her passion is to see increased visibility, improved access and holistic approach to promoting inclusive development for people with disabilities in Africa and around the world. Ms. Umoh is a Microbiologist and holds a postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) and masters degree in Social Work (MSW).
DPI West Africa Regional Chair Alzouma Maiga Idriss Mr. Idriss is a Director of Disabled People’s International (DPI) and the President of West African Federation of Persons with Disabilities (WAFOD). He is also the Chair of the recently formed African Disability Forum. He has extensive experience of promoting disability rights and inclusion in Niger as well as in Africa and internationally. Mr. Idriss holds a degree in taxation and is currently serving as Head of Taxation at Niamey Centre in Niger.
DPI Peru National Chair Julio Wilfredo Guzman Jara Mr. Guzman-Jara is the past Chair of DPI and the Regional Chair of DPI Latin America Region. He is also one of the founders as well as the current President of the National Confederation of Disabled People of Peru – CONFENADIP. He was also the President of the National Council for Integration of Persons with Disabilities or CONADIS. Mr. Guzman-Jara has a PhD from the Graduate School of the National University of Education Enrique Guzmán y Valle, a management degree from the Universidad Nacional Federico Villareal, and a degree in law and political science from the National University of San Marcos.
DPI Latin America Regional Chair Wilber Torres Morales Mr. Morales is the President of Organización de RevolucionariosDiscapacitados (ORD) in Nicaragua. He has thirty-five years of experience in the field of disability rights, having worked at the municipal, national, and international level. His areas of expertise include rehabilitation, skill development, policy making, law making to promote inclusion in industry, and project formulation. Mr. Morales is also the Chair of DPI Latin America.
Executive Director Mohammed Ali Loutfy