Susan is the National Director of Special Olympics Kenya. As the senior-most official in the organization, she handles a diverse array of duties, including oversight of strategic development, budget management and program implementation. She has significant administrative experience and a strong commitment to inclusion of people with disabilities in sports and education. Under her leadership, Special Olympics Kenya has implemented multiple inclusive sports models that strengthen bonds between youth with intellectual disabilities and their peers. Susan is a fully trained certified coach in Unified Sports, a Special Olympics initiative that brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete together in one team, and has implemented this model in school sports teams across Kenya. She has also directed the Young Athletes Program, an international initiative that provides inclusive sports activities for children between ages 2 and 7, exposing them to different sports and other children with and without disabilities as they develop physical, cognitive and social skills.

In addition to her nationwide work, Susan supports athletic programming for students with disabilities in two primary schools in Machakos County, which is east of Nairobi. She has significant experience with professional education in the United States, having participated in multiple international Special Olympics trainings in California, New Jersey and Washington D.C.

Susan has used her ADA International Fellowship Project to focus on expanding inclusive athletic opportunities for primary and secondary school-aged children in Kenya. She implemented an inclusive sports program for youth between ages 6 and 14 in two different schools. In addition to promoting inclusive behavior and bonding between students through the medium of sport, the program has also provided an opportunity for Susan and Special Olympics Kenya to develop and practice data collection and assessment skills that can be used to evaluate future programs and strengthen their impact.

Susan pursued her ADA International Fellowship training at the University of Massachusetts Boston School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (UMB SGISD).

To read Susan’s project progress report click here.