DISES President's Message - April 2021

Dear Colleagues,

Happy Spring! I hope you are enjoying the changes spring brings with longer days, warmer weather for most and the rebirth of lovely trees and flowers to brighten our days and spirits!

With these seasonal changes, I’d like to share some of the activities DISES is looking ahead to as we spring forward in this season of renewal:

DISES at CEC- A Huge Success!
DISES was an active participant in CEC L.I.V.E- March10-13, and enjoyed hosting a variety of exciting activities to engage members, increase our presence in the global community and offer opportunities for virtual networking and information-sharing with colleagues. The virtual environment afforded us some creative ways to engage attendees in some unique experiences such as the virtual booth with its colorful map and photo displays of past international events around the world, and the giveaway contest for visiting the booth. There was also lots of excitement at the fun scavenger hunt during our Social, and among the Showcase panel of DISES experts as they inspired others by sharing their global contributions.

We were also very pleased to present two Special Awards for their significant contributions during the Pandemic to Drs. Mansur Choudry and Margarita Perez Canadas. You can view details on our website @ dises-cec.org.

June Virtual Event Preview- Join Us!
You are invited to join us for our next virtual event: Culturally Sustaining Partnerships With Families Around the World, Saturday, June 26, 1:00-2:30 pm, ET for a great exchange with our global panelists and an opportunity to learn from them and interact with colleagues in a collegial environment.

Our first virtual event on February 27, 2021, Global Educators Supporting All Learners Through Crisis: Innovations, Challenges & Changes in Schools, proved to be very successful! Our outstanding DISES members/panelists offered tremendous insights from their experiences working in Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Dubai and South Africa and practical solutions in response to the challenges of the pandemic. You can learn more by viewing the recorded session by visiting our You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU7Aa1x7geUXuZh7gvaA1bQ

We are so pleased with all the new colleagues we met during our DISES events this year and look forward to strengthening those relationship and expanding our global network with your participation in future events. We hope you will mark your calendars for the upcoming events and join our DISES community for some exciting sessions as collaborative partners.

All my best,
Mary
Mary V. Kealy, EdD
President, Division of International Special Education and Services