Pakistan, Armenia, Vietnam, Mexico, Sri Lanka... these are just a few of the countries in which MIUSA is making an impact with your support.
I am proud to be leading an organization which empowers disabled people globally to take their rightful place as leaders and participants in the fields of international development and exchange as well as supporting disabled women leaders to be "Loud, Proud and Passionate."®
I hope you will be re-energized reading about the work we have accomplished this year. Support us in the work that still needs to be done by making your tax-deductible gift today.
Wishing you peaceful, happy holidays to you and your families.
Here's what we accomplished in 2018 with your support:
We scaled up leadership training for women with disabilities in Asia.
With the goal of building a strong regional network for women with disabilities, MIUSA hosted the first-ever regional Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) in Sri Lanka this year. In the months following the training, WILD-Asia alumni replicated their own local WILD workshops in their communities. Ms. Rama Dhakal chose Sexuality, Reproductive Health and Self-Defense as the themes of her one-day training for 20 women with diverse types of disabilities in Nepal.
“It was a great opportunity to organize a WILD in-country training. The participants were very excited to learn about sexual and reproductive health, and they were demanding more days for self-defense training. Showing their enthusiasm and energy I got more power and I am more motivated to work with women with disabilities!”
By January 2019, the WILD-Asia alumni trainings will have reached 300 more women with disabilities in their local communities.
We prepared young disabled leaders to be self-advocates.
Every year since the 1990s, MIUSA has had the honor to conduct workshops on U.S. disability rights to international exchange students with disabilities on the YES and FLEX high school programs, sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In 2018, MIUSA organized the workshop for 29 participants from 20 countries! Here's what Ani, a FLEX student from Georgia who has low vision, had to say:
“I met some wonderful students and mentors, became more confident, learned so much about the rights I have in the USA and should have in my home country, ran on a treadmill for the first time, learned about accommodations I need and so on. I can't stress enough how much I value, respect and love all of the people I met here. You are all so extraordinary! I’m sure the MIUSA workshop will be one of the highlights of my exchange year."
We bridged the international exchange and disability communities.
With sponsorship from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, MIUSA implements the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange to promote the participation of people with disabilities in international exchange and citizen diplomacy.
This year, we responded to over 150 inquiries about how people with disabilities can access international exchange; published 44 online resources for prospective travelers and exchange professionals; partnered with 23 organizations which comprise our Roundtable Consortium on Disability and Exchange; and exhibited or presented at 26 events and conferences to share about our resources with diverse audiences. A major highlight was the unique opportunity to organize our own Joining Hands event, bringing together over 100 attendees to share practices of inclusion.
We brought our disability inclusion expertise as consultants to international organizations.
Education. Emergency response. Health. Economic development. Political participation. MIUSA has long engaged with influential international NGOs, aid organizations and foundations to ensure that they include disabled people as both beneficiaries and leaders in these and other areas.
2018 saw the launch of MIUSA's Excellence in Development and Disability Inclusion (EDDI) initiative to provide customized resources and technical assistance to its 14 inaugural member organizations. In addition, MIUSA provided consulting to enhance disability inclusion among MacArthur Foundation grantees; presented at the InterAction Forum and Gender 360 Summit; and led a 2-day training at MADRE, an international women's human rights organization. Since the training, MADRE has already started making tangible changes: they’ve hired sign language interpreters for their events, engaged disability rights activists to develop recommendations for international human rights bodies; and made their job postings more accessible for persons with disabilities to apply.
MIUSA is proud to partner with and support organizations that have chosen to make disability inclusion a strategic priority!
We strengthened disability rights leaders’ capacity to advance disability rights legislation.
MIUSA and our team of U.S. legal experts supported disability communities across Pakistan and Armenia to advocate for passage of new disability rights legislation. Successful efforts by MIUSA alumni led to passage of the Pakistan Disability Act in two provinces in Pakistan. Meanwhile, our Armenian partners and U.S. experts changed the landscape of disability rights in Armenia, from establishing a new Coalition for Inclusive Legal Reform to submitting recommendations for changes to a new, draft disability rights law.
We provided political advocacy trainings in five countries.
Since 2014, our RightsNow! Project has brought together Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), government and civil society to strengthen implementation of national and international laws.
In the final year of the project, over 380 people with disabilities were trained on political advocacy, access to justice, sign language interpreter regulations, disability discrimination and policy implementation. Over 125 government representatives were trained on accessible Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), and 58 resources were developed or translated into Armenian, English, Sign Language, Spanish and Vietnamese, including our 10th Principle on disability rights in 5 languages, and the Peru General Law of Persons with Disabilities in Peruvian Sign Language.
We taught university students about global perspectives on disability.
Each year MIUSA teaches a unique, interdisciplinary course called Global Perspectives on Disability at the University of Oregon. One student in our 2018 course reflected on how the class impacted her:
“I enjoyed the guest speakers that came in to share their personal stories. Hearing the passion and empowerment through the voices of these advocates is something that cannot be taught in textbooks. In my opinion, this class should be taught to everyone to inform students on issues so prevalent, especially in today’s society.”
MIUSA is excited to offer this course again in winter term of 2019.
We pushed for disabled leaders to be recognized and honored on a global scale.
So many people with disabilities are effecting change and making positive contributions to communities worldwide, and it's important for their work and achievements to be acknowledged - and celebrated! In 2018, MIUSA recommended or nominated several of its alumni for various awards, scholarships, jobs, and other opportunities.
To end the year on a celebratory note, Santiago Velázquez Duarte - a Mexican disability rights activist, founder of Vida Independiente, and MIUSA alum - was recognized with the 2018 Matusak Courageous Leadership Award for his "no excuses" approach to mobilizing physically disabled people in Latin America to take action for themselves. As a Kellogg Fellow, Susan Sygall recently had the honor of presenting Santiago with this global award. Learn more about Santiago and his bold leadership.
Please donate to MIUSA to support more of this vital work. We can't do it without you!
