Article published by international fellow hosted by VT UCEDD

September 17, 2018

After spending five weeks in the US in an intensive fellowship program for inclusive disability employment, Victoria Lihiru returned home to Tanzania ready to make changes. She recently published an article in The Guardian newspaper in Tanzania, reflecting on her fellowship experiences and progress needed for people with disabilities. Her article is titled "Disability inclusive employment: My two cents from Green Mountain state" and can be read online: https://www.ippmedia.com/en/features/abilityinclusive-employment-my-two-cents-green-mountain-stat This article followed her participation in the Professional Fellows Program for Inclusive Disability Employment. This fellowship program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and administered by AUCD in partnership with the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Humanity and Inclusion.

In May, 2018, Vermont's UCEDD, the Center on Disability and Community Inclusion (CDCI) hosted Victoria and Sylivia Karungi from Uganda. Their time in Vermont was spent meeting various groups, agencies, and committees to learn about inclusive employment for people with disabilities. In Victoria's article she highlighted the connections made in Vermont, and especially opportunities to meet with self-advocates and family members and present at the Green Mountain Self-Advocates, Voices and Choices statewide conference. Victoria, an advocate from Tanzania focused on advancing employment and gender equity for women with disabilities in her home country, planned to take what she learned and design a Fellowship project that will help identify female graduates with disabilities and provide them with an accessible platform to market themselves to prospective employers. You can read more about Victoria's work and time in Vermont at CDCI's website: https://www.uvm.edu/cess/cdci/news/celebrating-success-tanzania