We are excited to announce the dates for our next Know Your Rights workshop! Please join us on either Wednesday, October 11 from 4-5:30pm or Friday, October 13 from 12:30-2pm for a virtual workshop presented by Sefakor G.M.A Komabu-Pomeyie, Ph.D. of the Vermont Center for Independent Living. Topics will include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Disability Rights, and Independent Living (IL) Philosophy.
Both sessions will cover the same information. Pick the date that works for you.
Free to all VAL students and staff!
Speak to your Ed Advisor or Teacher for more details and the Zoom link closer to the day of.
Come with questions or send them ahead of time to [email protected].
About The Presenter
Sefakor’s personal experience as a woman of color with a physical disability has shaped her journey as an international advocate for underrepresented especially, people with disabilities from around the globe. Her experiences include serving as an international disability rights advocate, educator, researcher, and policy analyst for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD), and as the Resource Center Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service.
She has been a staunch supporter of inclusive education for people with disabilities and lobbied successfully with other advocates in Ghana for the establishment of the Disability Law (Act 715) of Ghana as well as the ratification of the UNCRPD. She has won so many international awards including the International Service Award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Ford Foundation International Fellowship award and the International Alliance of Women (TIAW) award.
Sefakor is the Founder of Enlightening and Empowering People with Disabilities in Africa (EEPD AFRICA). She presented on so many platforms including the American Educational Research Association AERA (SIG RWE), New England Educational Organization (NEERO), African Studies Association (ASA) and European Conference on African Studies -Switzerland (ECAS). Her work represented an attempt to transform her experiences into a coherent intellectual critique, and, in the process, to make sense of the shortcomings and idiosyncrasies that underlie contemporary responses to human rights abuses in schools.
In 2016, Sefakor was named the 6th most influential disabled person in the world. Sefakor also teaches the Global Disability Studies course and Race and Racism Course as adjunct at the University of Vermont. At Saint Michael’s College, she teaches Disability Justice and Ethical Leadership and Disability Policies. She won the prestigious Prelock 2022 award for her excellent asynchronous online course at the University of Vermont.
Sefakor works with Vermont Center for Independent Living full time, with all students across the State of Vermont between the ages of 14 to 26 to build their self-advocacy skills and strategies. She serves on so many boards including the World Learning Global Advisory Council, The High- Level Political Forum of UN (HLPF), African Association of Disability and Self-Advocacy (AADISAO), The Free Wheelchair Mission, The Presidents Commission on Inclusive Excellence (PCIE) of UVM, and the ADA Taskforce of UVM. Sefakor co-authored the books “Disability in the Global South: The Critical Handbook”, “Next Generation Digital Tools and Application for Teaching and Learning Enhancement 1 ST Edition” and the “Handbook of Research on Contemporary Issues in Multicultural and Global Education.”