Global Disabilities course recognized for innovation and student engagement
A course examining global aspects of disability, developed and taught by Dr. Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie will be offered as part of the core disability studies curriculum this summer. Additionally, it will become a permanent cornerstone of the UVM Graduate Course in Disability Studies.
The course, “Special Education: Global Disabilities”, earned Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie UVM’s prestigious Prelock Online Teaching Award for 2022. The annual award recognizes a UVM course based on an imaginative and innovative approach, inclusive design, and student engagement, and is named in honor of Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia Prelock, an early adopter of online teaching at UVM.
“I feel very fulfilled because I built this course to make a change in our community in Vermont, but its impact is so significant globally,” says Komabu-Pomeyie.
Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie’s course reflects a commitment on the part of the whole University in providing learning experiences that better prepare students to perform meaningful, real-world work with a global reach. In the case of Global Disabilities, this means that in addition to a curriculum consisting of the voices and experiences of African disability rights advocates, the course requires every student to design a project that is meaningful and relevant to their own community.
“I just don’t want you to get to your grades and just leave it,” Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie comments, “You need to make a change in the community. You have to think about something practical.”
The Global Disabilities course reflects Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie’s own experience as a person with a disability growing up in Ghana, and her deep knowledge of the power of and ongoing need for disability advocacy across the African continent. “The framework talks about disability as part of humanity. In this framework, we connect disability to ourselves, our values, our policies — everything that we do,” she comments.
In addition to being part of UVM’s Summer University offerings, the Global Disabilities course joins a select few UVM courses in forming the foundation of UVM’s Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies, housed at the UVM Center on Disability & Community Inclusion (CDCI).
The certificate, which typically requires a two-year commitment and is open to both UVM graduate students and working professionals, provides a rigorous background in disability theory and culture. “Our certificate is individually designed to suit the interests and goals of our students. We emphasize the real-world application of new knowledge, and Sefakor’s expertise is a welcome addition to the core of our programming.”
In Summer 2023, the Global Disabilities course will again be offered entirely online and asynchronously — making it accessible to many people who can’t fit a more rigid course offering into traditional work schedules.
This reflects a long-standing commitment to expanding education with and for people with disabilities on the part of CDCI. A majority of the courses that make up the graduate certificate are taught by people with disabilities.
“We’re excited to support Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie in continuing to provide leadership in global studies,” said CDCI Academic Coordinator Winnie Looby. “Her passion for expanding opportunity and opening minds to global possibilities is vital to helping students understand and address the scope of disability advocacy. The course is wonderful.”
Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie graduated from the doctoral program in educational policy and leadership in 2020. She is also a past recipient of the national Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) International Service Award.
“In short,” concludes Dr. Komabu-Pomeyie, “we say, ‘I am because you are.’ Whatever happens to me, happens to you. We connect disability to ourselves, our values, our policies – everything that we do. We realize that disability is not disconnected.”
You can find out more about the Global Disabilities course and register online by visiting go.uvm.edu/global-disabilities. Tuition for Summer UVM courses is discounted by 30%.
