Competitive Advantages

Competitive Advantages

Credibility

Debra is seen as a Thought Leader in Corporate America and Multi-National Corporations and is asked to speak on disability topics regularly all over the world. She is also a board member of the World Institute on Disability (WID). Debra also was selected by the ILO GBDN to bring U.S. Corporations into the Global Conversations.  Debra has been an advisor to G3ict since 2008.  She has served on the USBLN board of directors for six years. 

Debra has also served on the RI Global Board invited to participate by U.N. Ambassador Luis Gallegos of Ecuador, a global network of people with disabilities, service providers, researchers, government agencies and advocates promoting and implementing the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities. Selected as the only US represented on the Australian Government Expert Reference Group. Debra has advised many countries including Australia, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Kenya, Norway, Singapore, Europe, UK, USA, Canada, Bahamas & Costa Rica.

Global Disability Inclusion Strategist

Debra Ruh is a Global Disability Inclusion Strategist. Her expertise includes United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), US Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – Sections 508, 503 and 504 and the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA). She is a seasoned entrepreneur founding three firms including Ruh Global Communications, TecAccess and Strategic Performance Solutions. She is a published author of “Finding Your Voice by Using Social Media” and her second book Uncovering Hidden Human Capital: How leading corporations leverage multiple abilities in their workforce was  published by G3ict in 2016.

Debra is a Thought Leader on ICT Accessibility, Marketing and Disability Inclusion on social media channels with over 120k direct followers. Her social media mediums include Twitter, Linked-In, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, G+ and other platforms.

She is a respected blogger and works tirelessly to assure that people with disabilities have a solid voice. Work has been featured in major mediums including CBS, CNN, PBS, ABC, NBC, NPR, INC, Bloomberg, Huffington Post and Business Week Magazines, Publishers Weekly, Fortune Magazine, US News & World Report, America’s Best, Washington Technology, Bloomberg Business Week, UN G3ict, USBLN, The Mobility Resource, eSSENTIAL Accessibility, Disaboom, Disability Scoop, Abled Body, SATH, DOL ODEP, Disability Works and “Think Beyond the Label”.

She has provided global leadership to governments and disability organizations all over the world supporting research, outreach, policy and standards initiatives with public- and private-sector. Advisor to Government of Egypt, Singapore, Kenya, Oman and Bahamas

Debra has been engaged with many global projects over the years, including the following:

  • G3ict, Employ-Ability & Technology Chair, 2006 to Present: Advisor to the G3ict – the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies – is an Advocacy Initiative of the UN GAID, the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development, launched in December 2006 in cooperation with the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN DESA.
  • Executive Officer and member of the board of directors for the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) (2006 – 2013)
  • Former chair of the board for Virginia Business Leadership Network (VABLN) (2006 – present)
  • Invited by the U.N. Ambassador Gallegos of Ecuador to serve on the board of RI Global, a global network of people with disabilities, service providers, researchers, government agencies and advocates promoting and implementing the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities (2007 – 2011)
  • U.S. representative on the Australian Government Expert Reference Group 2009 – present
  • Advisor to Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) and Bahamas (2011 – 2012)
  • Presented workshops, training and seminars around the world, including presentations to:
  • ONCE Foundation – Spain
  • Government of Singapore
  • Government of Kenya
  • Government of Egypt
  • Sultanate of Oman
  • Members of the European Union;
  • The Shafallah Forum 2009 in Doha, Qatar;
  • MADA AT Center in 2011 in Doha, Qatar;
  • Dell and Bloomberg’s 75 Top Female Global Leaders in Shanghai, China;
  • The International Forum on Disability Management in Berlin, Germany;
  • ITU Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Mainstreaming ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Bangkok, Thailand;
  • Danishkadah (Pakistan) for the Parents-Educators Self-Help Organization (SHO)