Supporting adolescent girls with disabilities through STEM.

Get Her There, a global call to action to educate and empower adolescent girls around the world to reach their full potential, featured a 90-minute luncheon for about 300 invitees.

Valerie Jarrett, a former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and CEO of the Obama Foundation, welcomed guests, including Wanjiru Wahome from the Samburu Girls Foundation, the American actress Marsai Martin, American singer and songwriter Sara Bareilles, and numerous supporters, influencers, donors, celebrities and media partners.

Three 'girls' empowerment champions' led the keynote session and announced a collaboration to support adolescent girls and help end child marriage.

The prominent trio included former U.S. First Lady, Michelle Obama, who is also the founder of the Obama Foundation's Girls Opportunity Alliance; co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda French Gates, and co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Amal Clooney.

Featured among the audience was a global cohort of girls and young women who are part of the Girls Opportunity Alliance Network. Their segment of the programme focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives, which can help adolescent girls with disabilities overcome the barriers they face to get in and stay in the classroom.

The World Health Organization, in its first-ever World Report on Disability 2011, suggested that more than one billion people in the world experience disability. It showed that people with disabilities experience worse educational outcomes and children with disabilities tend to have lower school attendance rates than able-bodied individuals.

Additionally, the report indicated that women with disabilities experience the combined disadvantages associated with gender, as well as disability. It affirmed that women and girls with disabilities should not be excluded from participation in and implementation of global development goals.

Girls with disabilities experience STEM sessions differently depending on their disability. For instance, learners with hearing impairment are more interested in coding and scratch sessions. The visually impaired tend to enjoy Makey Makey, while those with physical impairments are attracted to robotics.

At the event in New York, Clare Akumu, a Ugandan disability advocate, and Betty Mulavi, a Kenyan disability advocate, were invited to share their remarks on the Get Her There main stage.

'I want to inspire girls in Kenya and all across...