DISES President’s Letter – July 2024

Hello DISES Members,

When I was little, I loved summer time. My siblings, neighborhood friends, and I would build forts, organize dance parties, and play school (yes, I was born into this teaching thing). In June, I loved building relationships, dancing through our conference events, and learning with my DISES community at the DISES International Conference in Panama. We have so many exciting things going on and so much more to do as we grow our global community.

Conferences:

• Panama 2024: The DISES International Conference in Panama, Global Education: Equity and Inclusion for All, was absolutely amazing. We truly saw the embodiment of radical inclusive education for all during the conference. The care, conversations, community, excursions, exploration, love, compassion, service, support, collaboration, and intersectionality were so apparent over the three days of the conference–and that was because of all who attended. A special thanks to our planning co-chairs, Dr. Clara Hauth and Senora Senora Maria! Virginia Paredes! If you want to check out some of the photos from the conference, check out the DISES Panama Conference video. Check out the 2024 DISES Conference Proceedings on the DISES website.
• Kenya 2025: We are planning for the 2025 DISES International Conference in Nairobi and Lake Naivasha, Kenya next July! Please look out for the Call for Proposals for the conference. If you are interested in joining the conference planning team, please reach out to Dr. Rebekka Jez rjez@sandiego.edu or Dr. Robai Werunga Robai_Werunga@uml.edu.
• Request for Proposals for 2026 or 2027: Do you have a country in mind that would be a good place to host a DISES conference? If so, feel free to complete the DISES RFP. If you have any questions, reach out to info@dises-cec.org.

Committees are making an impact: If you want to get more involved in DISES, we have regular committee check-ins, our next one is on July 27 at 12:00pm (EST)- Register here and join us.

Sip & Chat:

• July 17 6pm Sip & Chat: Thank you Robai Werunga and Keitha Osborne for organizing the post-DISES conference themed Sip & Chat. Thank you everyone who joined us- we heard such great information!
• August 10 2pm Sip & Chat: more information to be shared soon!

Virtual Event:

• August Virtual Event: Did you miss the DISES conference in Panama? Well, you are in luck, our next Virtual Event will highlight some of our speakers from the conference. Keep an eye out for more information.

April 6, 2024 Information Brief: Check out the website, it will be posted soon! Zhang, D., Lane, D., & Jez, R. J. (2024). Learning About Inclusive Education in the Global Context: Voices from the Field. Division of International Special Education Brief, 1-4.

Professional Learning Gallery: Our Professional Learning Gallery is off to a great start! We are dreaming and building. If you have any content (research, infographics, activities, etc.) you would like to share or would like to work building any of these topics, please share them with Dr. Ward (jlward@svsu.edu) and I (rjez@sandiego.edu): Inclusion 101; Family Engagement; Inclusive Academic Practices; Inclusive Social, Emotional, & Behavioral Supports; Assessments; Transitioning into Adulthood; Leadership; Collaboration; and Accessibility & Assistive Technology.

Student Engagement: Are you interested in mentoring a DISES graduate student or being mentored? Link to the Mentorship Interest Survey.

Family Engagement: Family Engagement Committee is working on a research project and a module for the Professional Learning Gallery.

Membership:

T-shirt: Show your DISES support, sales open until July 31, 2024 Ideas for a DISES tagline? The membership committee is dreaming

Other announcements: DISES T-shirts: For limited time (until July 31st), you can order a DISES T-shirt at https://www.customink.com/go/das0-00cv-v31w Interdivisional Grant-funded Video Podcast Series: Critical Global Conversations: Supporting Youth, Families, & Educators in Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Practices

Call for Proposals for a special issue of Education Policy Analysis Archives: Looking Back at 50 Years of IDEA and Envisioning Possible Futures

Thank you all for all you do to make this organization fantastic!

Rebekka J. Jez, EdD DISES President