On 3 July 2018, the British Council hosted a forum titled "Paralympic Legacy: Global Disability Innovation Hub," inviting three speakers from the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub).
London invested over £10m in its 2012 Paralympic legacy, creating the most comprehensive programme ever seen by a host city. The GDI Hub is a key part of this legacy, established with the vision of making a positive difference to the lives of the one billion disabled people around the world by 2030. Based at UCL Here East on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the GDI Hub works with local communities, academics, experts and disabled people to drive innovation, co-design and creative thinking.
At the forum, Victoria Austin (Director of Strategy and Partnerships), Iain McKinnon (Director of Operations), and Catherine Holloway (Academic Director) from the GDI Hub introduced the London 2012 Legacy programme, details of the inclusive design approach taken within the Legacy programme, and the story of the GDI Hub. The speakers also engaged in discussions and networking with participants from wide ranging sectors in Japan, all involved in Tokyo 2020 towards and beyond, and explored opportunities for future knowledge exchange and collaboration between the UK and Japan.
