25th Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture, Right to Accessible Information for Global Citizenship: UNESCO's Programme for Persons with Disabilities.

Join us online or in person on Tuesday, October 27th at 4:00 PM CDT for the 

25th Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture, Right to Accessible Information for Global Citizenship: UNESCO's Programme for Persons with Disabilities.

Dr. Irmgarda Kasinskaite-Buddeberg, Programme Specialist for UNESCO’s Knowledge Societies Division, Communication and Information Sector will talk about her work and provide insight into the concrete actions taken by UNESCO to ensure that the right to accessible information for persons with disabilities is respected around the world and to contribute to the full empowerment of persons with disabilities. 

The presentation will also include the introduction of key initiatives, research results, policy and capacity building tools developed by UNESCO as well as future plans within the context of building inclusive knowledge societies.

The lecture will take place on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus in Room 126 of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 501 East Daniel Street, Champaign. It will commence with a memorial tribute to Ekaterina Genieva (April 1, 1946-July 9, 2015), former Director General of the Margarita Rudomino All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature, by Marianna Tax Choldin. Dr. Genieva received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001.

If not in-person, please join us online. The lecture will also be streamed live on the internet with American Sign Language interpretation. Just visit go.illinois.edu/livestream3 on October 27^th at 4:00 PM Central Daylight Time. The recorded video will be made available with closed caption.

This year’s lecture will also kick off a year-long celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the C. Walter and Gerda B. Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, established in 1991 to strengthen international ties among libraries and librarians worldwide for the promotion of international education, understanding, and peace. Librarians from more than 100 countries have participated in professional development programs offered by the Mortenson Center, the only one of its kind in the world. Learn more about us at http://www.library.illinois.edu/mortenson.

Thank you to our co-sponsors: The Illini Union Board, the Center for Global Studies, the European Union Center, the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the Division of Disability Resources & Educational Services, and the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign.