A celebration of equity, participation, and well-being in Taiwan
The 27th conference of Asia Federation on Intellectual Disabilities
The Asia Federation on Intellectual Disabilities held its 27th Conference in 26-31 October 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan. On a rainy morning on 27 October 2025, the Howard Civil Service International House welcomed over 600 participants for its semi-annual conference on intellectual disabilities where they attended sessions and engaged in conversations about ID.
The event opened with a spirited drum dance by the First Social Welfare Foundation and welcoming remarks from Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, National Taiwan Normal University President Dr. Wu Cheng-Chih, and AFID President Li-Yu Hung.
The three-day conference featured insights from keynote speakers Dr. Roger Stancliffe (Australia) and Dr. Peter Zentel (Germany). Over 100 presenters contributed to national and international panels, comprising 25 oral sessions and 32 posters. Beyond the academic sessions, the conference hosted the “Creative and Innovation” art exhibition, the “Every Day Matters” salon, a memorial for Rev. Brendan O’Connell, and a flash mob by the Syin Lu Choir.
On 30 October 2025, delegates explored northern Taiwan via eight educational tour routes, concluding the event with a celebratory Friendship and Cultural Night. The conference officially closed with the passing of the AFID flag to Korea, setting the stage for the next gathering in Seoul in 2027.
Participants praised the conference’s inclusive atmosphere. One local attendee noted the seamless integration of self-advocates, reflecting the event’s core values. An invited speaker highlighted the region’s cultural richness, echoing the Conference President’s sentiment that despite Asia’s diversity, AFID members are united by a common goal: “Working together to achieve equity, participation, and well-being for those we work with and for those we love.”
Here is a video account of the meeting. (It’s about 4 min long.)
一場實踐公平、參與和福祉的聚會
—第27界亞洲智能障礙聯盟大會在臺灣
亞洲智能障礙聯盟（AFID）第27屆大會於2025年10月26日至31日在臺灣臺北舉行。六百多名與會齊聚在臺北福華國際文教會館，參加這次大會，透過各類活動就智能障礙之議題展開探討與分享。
2025年10月27日，一個陰雨綿綿的早晨，臺北新生南路的福華國際文教會館迎來了超過20個國家的與會者，共同參加第27屆亞洲智能障礙聯盟（簡稱亞智盟）大會。會議以第一社會福利基金會的精彩鼓舞啦啦隊表演揭開序幕，台灣副總統蕭美琴、臺灣師範大學校長吳正己博士和亞智盟主席洪儷瑜博士分別致代表臺灣政府和主辦單位致歡迎詞。
為期三天的會議，來自澳洲的羅傑·斯坦克利夫博士和德國的彼得·曾特爾博士受邀擔任專題演講嘉賓。 105位發表者在國內和國際專題，以及25場口頭報告和32場海報展示。除了學術研討外，本次大會還舉辦了「創意與創新」藝術展、「生活大小事」沙龍、甘惠忠神父紀念展以及心路合唱團的快閃表演。
10月30日，與會者透過預先安排的八條教育參訪路線探索了臺灣北部重要的學校、機構和景點，並在當晚友誼與文化之夜為本次大會畫上了圓滿的句號。大會主席在31日上午將亞智盟旗幟移交給下一屆主席韓國，為本次大會正式閉幕，也為2027年下一屆大會籌備掀開了序幕。
與會者對大會融合的氛圍讚不絕口。本地的與會者表示，自我倡議者的無縫參與體現了大會的核心價值。一位受邀的演講嘉賓強調大會展現了亞洲地區豐富的文化底蘊，他的觀點與大會主席在歡迎詞所述不謀而合：儘管亞洲是世界上宗教、文化和政治最多元的地區，但亞智盟成員共同的目標：“攜手共同為我們所服務的人和我們所愛的人實現公平、參與和福祉。”
*上述四分鐘影片是亞智盟大會的花絮
Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a post published 29 November at 5:00 AM. I published it prematurely, and I have removed that earlier post. I apologize to readers for the extra traffic in their apps and mailboxes.—JohnL