Mandela Washington Fellows Visit ICI

On July 12, ICI's Beth Fondell, Brian Abery, and Jessica Simacek met with four Fellows from the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders. Each summer, the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development and Humphrey School of Public Affairs host a group of participants from the program, which gives outstanding young leaders from Africa the opportunity to hone their leadership skills at U.S. colleges and universities, with support for professional development after they return home. A cohort of 25 visited the University of Minnesota, and four fellows with a strong interest in the intersectionality of disability and human rights met with Fondell and Abery to learn more about life for people with disabilities in the U.S. and ICI's work both internationally and around the country, and then toured ICI's Telehealth Lab with Simacek. The Fellows were (pictured left to right) Desyrani Rampertab from Mauritius, Maame Yaa Barnes of Ghana, Maduk Srom from South Sudan, and (not pictured) Brandon Ainslie of South Africa.