Question #1 for the Representative Assembly

1. How can CEC best foster mutual understanding and reciprocal partnerships internationally?

Put some pictures in our journal. Less research and more real people and real stories and real pictures. Opportunities to go to schools to do research/training. Ideas for partnerships with classrooms/communities. Adopt-a-School. Serious service learning opportunities. Much more grassroots. Also, hook in with International School Services. Big opportunity to set up special education programs. But don't forget the villages and countries that are dangerous.

Build a programs/Sister programs. Foster programs. Help grassroot programs get started. Find foundations in the International school system, then when a new program begins, help them find a sister program, until the new one gets off its feet and continue the cycle. I agree with Jacque, don't forget about the villages/countries without the ISS.

Provide a forum for International educators to meet and exchange best practices, perhaps shadowing/training practices.

I agree with Mitzu and Jacque about collaborating with other systems in other countries on topics such as ideas, practices and techniques. I have relatives in three other countries and when I visit, I would love to be able to observe some classroom settings or be able to discuss with other teachers and professionals.

Perhaps the first place to start is to begin to explore the different definitions or understandings that communities give to disabilities. We may be using the same terminology but the construct and context are very different. To first understand that we aren't using a global vocabulary is important. So the first step might be to provide opportuities to explore how exceptionalities, education and other services are conceptualized and operationalized around the world. This would involve immersion experiences lead by culturally competent faciliators, presentations, publications, etc. But it has to be more than a slice of the picture, it has to be more than a surface representation -the participants will have to work to understand their own expectations and norms as well as those of the other participants and countries/cultures visited. We have to be present as learner not as teacher or judge.

I totally agree with all the representatives, I think we need to work very hard to have clear findings concerning disabilities and how we can advocate for their rights; we need to improve the audience’s awareness towards people with disability, as I am from Arabian Gulf we are developing progressively in the part, CEC can provide the expertise, programs and the technologies and how we can make the adaptations which are suitable to Arab culture, CEC has to open new horizons with different countries, cultures, and languages to obtain highly active involvement

Tom Gumpel wrote:1. How can CEC best foster mutual understanding and reciprocal partnerships internationally?

In many ways, CEC is already fostering partnerships. I learned about it from a DISES newsletter that somehow got to me and a bit of correspondence with Clay. Has CEC ever set up a dialogue with the International Schools Association? I'm wondering if they set up programs for students with mild disabilities. I see there are lots of programs in places like India and the Phillipines. Also Europe. In the Arabian Gulf there are more and more centers popping up to serve students with special needs. The catch is that Arabic is the language of instruction. I do know that I see programs which are definitely not implementing best practices. There are some very good centers in Jordan and Egypt, but, once again. there is the language barrier. I've been lucky to find leaders in some of these institutions who are bilingual and we enoy comparing our services.

I think it's important for us to strengthen our division website by including more information about the international work many of our members do. We can also consider including information such as the schools that serve children with disabilities around the world.