The latest issue of DisabilityWorld, posted on April 14 (www.disabilityworld.org), finds disability politics alive and well around the globe, with protests in Kenya against neglect by the ruling party, in Australia against a government sponsored visit by Christopher Reeve, in Argentina about the need for new legislation, and in the U.S. against appointment of a high court judge with known bias against the Americans with Disabilities Act. Political actions to create new anti-discrimination laws are reported from Holland and Ghana.

Several articles and interviews highlight the building international momentum towards a UN disability convention:
· Interview with Luis Gallegos of Ecuador, chairman of the UN Ad Hoc Committee to consider the need for a convention;
· Paper by Arthur O'Reilly of Ireland, past president of Rehabilitation International, outlining the next steps towards a convention; and
· Convention support articulated by European Union, African and Arab disability decade planning bodies, and April regional conference of the Americas in Quito to prepare for next UN Ad Hoc meeting in June.

The third main theme of this issue of DisabilityWorld spotlights progress on the disability and development front including:
· An interview with Judy Heumann about the disability-related priorities of the World Bank;
· International courses on CBR and disability in developing countries;
· Frontline reports from South Africa, Vietnam, Uganda, Argentina, Pakistan; and an
· Interview with Frederico Montero, the founder of Costa Rica's popular radio program on disability issues.

Additionally, this issue features reports on new employment projects in the Asia-Pacific & Europe; access and technology progress in France, Colombia and Argentina; projects by disabled women's groups in Costa Rica, South Africa and the USA; a variety of film reviews; and a multitude of new international resources on disability law, policy studies, research journals, self-help groups and disability & conflict.

This issue of DisabilityWorld is the 17th in a series produced by the International Disability Exchanges and Studies (IDEAS) project, supported by the U.S. National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research. The IDEAS project is a partnership managed by the World Institute on Disability, with the participation of Rehabilitation International, Independent Living Research Utilization and the Inter-American Institute on Disability. To contribute to DisabilityWorld, send articles in English to editor@disabiltyworld.org or in Spanish to espanol@disabilityworld.org