11C - Global Perspectives on Cerebral Palsy: Building Trans-Regional Advocacy to Improve Access and Health Equity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
| Saturday, June 6, 2026 |
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
| Aras Ui Chathail |
Speaker
Mr Dom Kelly
New Disabled South
Global Perspectives on Cerebral Palsy: Building Trans-Regional Advocacy to Improve Access and Health Equity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Abstract - Instructional Course
Structure:
-Chair: Dom Kelly, MS, MA, Founder and CEO, New Disabled South; Doctor of Public Health Candidate, The George Washington University, USA; Lecturer at Georgia State University. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States and is a dual Irish citizen.
-Speaker: Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke, MScOT, Founder and Executive Director, Grand Assistive Technology Center; Lecturer at University of Gondar, Ethiopia. Based in Gondar, Ethiopia.
Objectives:
-Describe differences in health and lifespan outcomes between children with CP in high-income countries (HICs) and those in LMICs.
-Identify structural and social determinants influencing CP outcomes, including access to community care, assistive technology, early intervention services, accessible education, and more.
-Explore how adults with CP in HICs can partner with advocates, families, and professionals in LMICs to build sustainable networks of mentorship, engage in policy advocacy, and help disrupt misinformation that exacerbates health inequities.
-Develop practical strategies to improve health, inclusion, and well-being for children and families with CP in resource-limited places.
Target Audience:
Physicians, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, allied health professionals, researchers, educators, policymakers, and advocates, including people with lived experience.
Background and Summary
Globally, children with cerebral palsy face vastly different health trajectories depending on their country of birth. In high-income nations such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, many people with CP now experience near-average life expectancy due to improved neonatal care, early intervention, and robust community care and support. In contrast, studies from LMICs reveal dramatically higher mortality rates; children with CP in rural Uganda, for example, experience mortality rates up to 25 times higher than their non-disabled peers. These disparities stem from inequities in access to things like rehabilitation, nutrition, assistive technology, civic engagement, and other social determinants of health.
In many Global South countries, it is rare that kids with CP grow into adults, but when they do, they are rarely visible, leaving families to assume that children with CP cannot survive into adulthood. This invisibility perpetuates stigma and limits opportunities for advocacy. However, transnational partnerships where adults with CP can connect with families, clinicians, and community-based programs in other places, can improve expectations, combat misinformation, help building advocacy capacity, and potentially influence policy.
Dom Kelly, who has CP, brings both lived and professional expertise in disability justice, political advocacy, and public health systems change, while Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke contributes research and practice experience from Ethiopia on assistive technology, family engagement, and community-based rehabilitation. Together, they will provide a participatory, evidence-informed, and justice-oriented perspective on advancing CP well-being globally.
Course Format:
0-5 min: Opening remarks and session framing: Dom Kelly (Chair)
5-20 min: Comparative overview of lifespan and health outcomes in HICs vs. LMICs: Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke
20-35 min: Advocacy and family participation: the impact of visible adult role models with CP: Dom Kelly
35-45 min: From Ideas to Action: Collaborative Strategy Session for building cross-country peer networks, community-based rehabilitation, and assistive-technology access: Both speakers
45-55 min: Interactive small-group discussion: developing context-specific advocacy or service ideas: Moderated by both speakers
55-60 min: Closing reflections and participant takeaways.
-Chair: Dom Kelly, MS, MA, Founder and CEO, New Disabled South; Doctor of Public Health Candidate, The George Washington University, USA; Lecturer at Georgia State University. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States and is a dual Irish citizen.
-Speaker: Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke, MScOT, Founder and Executive Director, Grand Assistive Technology Center; Lecturer at University of Gondar, Ethiopia. Based in Gondar, Ethiopia.
Objectives:
-Describe differences in health and lifespan outcomes between children with CP in high-income countries (HICs) and those in LMICs.
-Identify structural and social determinants influencing CP outcomes, including access to community care, assistive technology, early intervention services, accessible education, and more.
-Explore how adults with CP in HICs can partner with advocates, families, and professionals in LMICs to build sustainable networks of mentorship, engage in policy advocacy, and help disrupt misinformation that exacerbates health inequities.
-Develop practical strategies to improve health, inclusion, and well-being for children and families with CP in resource-limited places.
Target Audience:
Physicians, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, allied health professionals, researchers, educators, policymakers, and advocates, including people with lived experience.
Background and Summary
Globally, children with cerebral palsy face vastly different health trajectories depending on their country of birth. In high-income nations such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, many people with CP now experience near-average life expectancy due to improved neonatal care, early intervention, and robust community care and support. In contrast, studies from LMICs reveal dramatically higher mortality rates; children with CP in rural Uganda, for example, experience mortality rates up to 25 times higher than their non-disabled peers. These disparities stem from inequities in access to things like rehabilitation, nutrition, assistive technology, civic engagement, and other social determinants of health.
In many Global South countries, it is rare that kids with CP grow into adults, but when they do, they are rarely visible, leaving families to assume that children with CP cannot survive into adulthood. This invisibility perpetuates stigma and limits opportunities for advocacy. However, transnational partnerships where adults with CP can connect with families, clinicians, and community-based programs in other places, can improve expectations, combat misinformation, help building advocacy capacity, and potentially influence policy.
Dom Kelly, who has CP, brings both lived and professional expertise in disability justice, political advocacy, and public health systems change, while Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke contributes research and practice experience from Ethiopia on assistive technology, family engagement, and community-based rehabilitation. Together, they will provide a participatory, evidence-informed, and justice-oriented perspective on advancing CP well-being globally.
Course Format:
0-5 min: Opening remarks and session framing: Dom Kelly (Chair)
5-20 min: Comparative overview of lifespan and health outcomes in HICs vs. LMICs: Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke
20-35 min: Advocacy and family participation: the impact of visible adult role models with CP: Dom Kelly
35-45 min: From Ideas to Action: Collaborative Strategy Session for building cross-country peer networks, community-based rehabilitation, and assistive-technology access: Both speakers
45-55 min: Interactive small-group discussion: developing context-specific advocacy or service ideas: Moderated by both speakers
55-60 min: Closing reflections and participant takeaways.
Paper Number
982
Biography
Dom Kelly is the Founder, President & CEO of New Disabled South, the first and only regional disability organization in the United States. A disability advocate since age four, Dom - who has cerebral palsy - has led organizing, fundraising, health policy, and narrative change efforts across the U.S. for 16 years. He’s a 2025 Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity and a 2023 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize winner. A former touring musician turned movement leader, he focuses on advancing disability justice and health equity, and on building power for marginalized communities. Dom lives in Georgia with his wife and daughter.
