“When one teaches, two learn” “
-Robert A. Heinlein
What is CoP?
The Community of Practice (CoP) is a global platform for professionals and families advocating for children with developmental disabilities. It’s a space for mutual learning, collaboration, and support, where participants share real-world experiences, challenges, and solutions related to service implementation and advocacy.
Whether you’re a seasoned clinician, a manager, a therapist, or a passionate advocate, the CoP offers a welcoming environment to exchange ideas and grow together.
Why Join?
- Learn from peers working in diverse settings across the world
- Share your own experiences and innovations
- Engage in case-based discussions and collaborative problem-solving
- Access mentorship and build lasting professional connections
- Contribute to a strengths-based, inclusive approach to care
When & Where?
- Sessions are held bimonthly — every two months on the last Tuesday of the month
- Hosted via Zoom, accessible globally
- Session recordings are available for those unable to attend live, though live participation is encouraged for deeper engagement
How to Join?
- Registration details are posted on the IAACD website and shared via email
- If you’re not receiving email updates, please contact us at:
copgpec@gmail.com
Stay Connected
For questions, suggestions, or to get involved, reach out anytime:
copgpec@gmail.com
UPCOMING EVENT
The IAACD invites you to join the Community Of Practice for Advocates of Developmental Disabilities services!
Let us continue joining hands to transform our practice in childhood disability! Join the IAACD Community of Practice session on September 30th, at 1pm UK time
Guest speakers: Gillian Saloojee and Elizabeth Asige “Impact of the Akwenda Intervention Programme on the lives of children and youth with Cerebral Palsy and their families in rural Eastern Uganda – evidence from a real world setting”
Register in advance for this meeting:
Past meetings
If you missed it you can watch the recording below.
Community of Practice (COP) meeting 27th May 2025
The IAACD, Global Professional Education Consortium, Community of Practice (GPEC – COP) hosted an insightful session on May 27, 2025, titled “Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: Linking Frontline and Specialist Services for Equitable Early Developmental Services in Sri Lanka”. The session featured Dr Dilini Vipulaguna as the guest speaker, who shared the unique perspective of care in childhood disability in Srilanka and how they have achieved integration of primary health care professionals.
Take a listen!
Community of Practice (COP) meeting 25th March 2025
The IAACD, Global Professional Education Consortium, Community of Practice (GPEC – COP) hosted an insightful session on March 25th, 2025, titled “Bridging the Gap Between Families and Services: Lived Experience as More Than a Story.” The session featured Rachel Wright as the guest speaker, who shared her unique perspective on the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in navigating the system and services. Participants discussed sensible questions to ask to improve the system, making the session both informative and engaging.
Take a listen!
Community of Practice (COP) meeting 31th January 2024
The International Alliance Academies of Childhood Disabilities Community of Practice session (IAACD – COP) hosted a great discussion titled “Labelling with a diagnosis or a Functional Description of Children: Isn’t this a silly question? ” on January 31st, 2024. The session featured a group of professionals and individuals hosting Dr Peter Rosenbaum as a guest speaker. The session provided a platform for participants to share their insights on the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities navigating the system and services. Have a listen! It is informative and insightful, with participants sharing their recommendations on what sensible questions to ask to bend the system!
The recording of the meeting is below
Community of Practice (COP) meeting 28th March 2023
Childhood Disability in Low Resourced Settings: Navigating through unchartered territory. -Lessons from Ethiopia.
Selamensh Tsige Legas shared her journey of bringing services for children with disabilities to Ethiopia. Followed by general discussion.
The recording of the meeting is below
Community of Practice (COP) meeting 31st January 2023
This meeting was hosted by Dr. Nana Nino Tatishvili President of Georgian Association of Child Neurology and Neurosurgery and Head of Neuroscience Department of M.Iashvili CCH who presented her work and led the conversation on -Gaining political support for driving change and why that is important.
The recording of the meeting is below
2022
On our first session, Dr. Sunanda Reddy introduced us to what the purpose of a community of practice is. If you missed it you can watch the recording
below.
After the presentation we had a break out to talk about what the community is expecting of this project and to comment the challenges that we face on our
daily practice.
To address this challenges we invited Dr. Gulam Khandaker to share his experience and how he managed to overcome the challenges presented.
In here you can search through many new publications, visit our Listening and Sharing section, learn about COVID-19 impact on our COVID-19 Task Force hub, and submit your material.
Here are resources you may find helpful. These have been shared by our community for the benefit of everyone. They have been reviewed and collated for you by our collating team.
Listening and Sharing Sessions are about different topics that are arriving from new ideas and are crucial for wellbeing of children and youth living with developmental conditions.
IAACD has created a COVID-19 Task Force with the main goal of learning and understanding the impact of COVID-19 on children and families living with developmental conditions.
Guidelines for Contributors and Framework to evaluate potential IAACD website materials. Learn more about our submission process and criteria for acceptance of materials.
