President's Letter (January 2023)

DISES 2023 President’s Welcome Message

Happy New Year! 
I hope this message finds you feeling healthy, happy, and full of hope for the year to come! 

I am honored and humbled to serve as the DISES President for 2023. My first DISES event was in Braga Portugal in 2014. I remember telling my husband, “I found my people!” I was amazed to learn that so many individuals around the world share my passion for the multifaceted intersections of disability and culture. I vowed, then, to attend every DISES event and become more deeply involved in the organization. 

The past eight years have been nothing short of amazing, with conference and roundtable events in Bethlehem, Nicaragua, Bulgaria, South Africa, Jamaica, and Breckenridge, Colorado. I know that DISES members would agree that our lives are forever enriched by the experiences of meeting individuals with disabilities, their caretakers, and teachers in these beautifully diverse cultures. While we embrace opportunities to learn about our differences, we also feel humbled to learn about our commonalities and aspects of connected humanness. In other words, despite living very different lives in a vast world, as we learn from one another we come to the realization that “It’s a small world after all,” regarding the human experience. This title references the 1964 Sherman Brothers song written after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. To quote Richard Sherman, the song is a “prayer for peace” and emphasizes our “brotherhood,” or community.

So, with prayers for peace for our connected DISES community, we look to the year ahead. Below are some of the upcoming DISES events and member benefits:

CEC 2023 Convention & Expo – Louisville, Kentucky
We hope to see many of you at the CEC 2023 Convention & Expo, March 1-4. On Wednesday, March 1, the DISES Board will meet from 1-5 pm. On Thursday morning, March 2, DISES will present the DISES Showcase and a joint DCD-DISES Presentation. That evening, we will host the DISES Business/Membership Meeting, and the ever popular, DISES Social Reception!

DISES 2023 International Roundtable – Bangalore, India
The DISES Executive Committee and the Roundtable Planning Committee are busy preparing for the DISES 2023 International Roundtable in Bangalore, India, July 12-14, 2023. 

Sip & Chat – February 4, 2023
Please join us for the DISES “Family Engagement Sip & Chat” on Saturday, February 4, 2023, 11:00am EST to learn more about facilitating and increasing family engagement. 

DISES Virtual Events
Be on the lookout for the 2023 DISES Virtual Events (information forthcoming).

Member Spotlights
Periodically, DISES celebrates members who personify the DISES mission to promote knowledge exchange, collaboration, human rights, and advocacy for individuals with disabilities. 

Information Briefs
The DISES Information Briefs are short (3-4 page) articles that highlight current practices and issues that are relevant to members. Examples include the impact of the COVID pandemic on students, teachers, and families; challenges and innovations in schools; inclusive practices around the world; and culturally sustaining partnerships with families around the globe. 

Journal of International Special Needs Education (JISNE)
The purpose of JISNE is to provide the international scientific community with information that reflects special education around the globe. The current issue features studies from Italy, Iran, and Malaysia. 

For more information on these events and member benefits, please visit our website at dises-cec.org.   

Finally, if you would like a fun challenge, go to the linked PDF. My husband and I enjoyed creating this crossword puzzle with “Happy New Year” in 15 languages. 

Wishing you a year filled with love, peace and hope!
Nicole

Nicole M. DeClouette, Ph.D.
DISES 2023 President