June 5-8, 2011, FICCDAT

FICCDAT could be thought of (modestly) as the olympiad of all conferences relating to aging, disability, caregiving and technology.

The inaugural Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology, FICCDAT was held over four days in June of 2007. More than 1,200 international delegates from 36 countries attended. Delegates were partners in government, private sector, academia, consumer and professional organizations. The Festival brought together leading world experts on topics relating to aging, disability, informal caregiving, new technologies and science. Five unique conferences: Caregivers: Essential Partners in Care; The 30th Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Conference: Improving Medical Device Usability; Advances in Neurorehabilitation; Growing Older with a Disability and the 2nd International Conference on Technology and Aging, provided the framework for a global dialogue concerned with helping the world’s aging populations live longer and better.

Each of the Festival conferences was co-chaired by leaders in the field and engaged local, provincial, national and international organizations. Through an infrastructure of volunteer committees, coordinated by the Steering Committee, the Festival included an exhibit hall, international speakers, entertainment by artists and performers with disabilities, and many inspirational seminars, workshops and converging international meetings.

All of the organizations participating in FICCDAT partnered in the development of the Festival Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles. There was an unqualified consensus and commitment on collaborating to meet the needs and rights for people with disabilities to access information, for technological and biomedical development and advancements, support systems and full accessibility for people of all ethno-racial, socioeconomic communities.

FICCDAT is growing! Building on the success of 2007, we are planning six concurrent international conferences in 2011. FICCDAT 2011 will bring together six important and different conferences all focused on enhancing the lives of seniors, persons with disabilities and their family caregivers. Between June 5-8, 2011 rehabilitation, social and health services providers, government policy makers, researchers, family caregivers, students, seniors and persons with disabilities from around the world will gather in Toronto, Canada to explore issues facing aging populations, the implications for healthcare systems and service providers, the roles and responsibilities of family caregivers and policy and how new research findings and technologies are leading new and practical solutions. Experience the Festival! One of the unique features of FICCDAT is that, in addition to attending your desired conference, registrants will be entitled to attend sessions in any other Festival conference. You can also submit abstracts to as many conferences as you like.

FICCDAT is a consortium of organizations, private and public, brought together under the leadership of the two originating Co-Chairs to maximize opportunities for collaboration between two social movements - aging and disability. For more information visit the website at www.ficcdat.ca

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