Inclusion Australia Policy Officer, Luke Nelson recently went to The Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the UN in New York.

Luke was 1 of 15 people with disability from around Australia invited to attend the Conference of State Parties. We talked to Luke about this incredible achievement.
“The Conference of State Parties is an international conference for people with disabilities. I went with Catherine, the CEO of Inclusion Australia.
Catherine and I went to lots of events together. I enjoyed hearing different countries talk about their own hot topics. We listened to people from UAE, Nepal, South Korea, Zimbabwe, and more, talk about inclusion. For example, India, talked about what they are doing to increase inclusive education. The South Korean government talked about how to best support people with disabilities in terms of funding.
I was lucky to be given the chance to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it impacts people with an intellectual disability.
Artificial Intelligence can sometimes be helpful. It can make things faster or stop simple mistakes. But most AI systems are not designed for people with an intellectual disability in mind. This can cause harm.

People with disabilities have the right to equal access to information and digital systems. This is a right in the CRPD. We need to remember that humans need to be involved when it comes to AI.
I was only given 3 minutes to talk. It was the fastest presentation I have ever given! But it was the most amazing experience of my life.
It was encouraging to be included in all parts of the event, whether it was international, national or state affairs. That’s what it’s all about for me. To make sure people with disabilities get their voices heard.
No country is perfect. However, I did feel that Australia is very well placed. I am pleased to be a person with disability in Australia. I am pleased to be in our system after some of the things I have seen and heard.
So here I am. 35 years old. I started my career 18 years ago. I would have never thought I would speak at the UN. I have ticked a huge career moment off my bucket list!
I will encourage people to speak up for the rest of my life. That is my job. That is what I will always do”.
You can learn more about the CRPD here.