The University of Illinois at Chicago, Institute on Disability and Human Development’s Dr Robert Gould has been selected to participate in the outbound program.

Robert Gould is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). In this role, he leads separate studies related to the implementation of disability rights law and policy. He is the Director of Research for the Great Lakes ADA Center and a co-investigator of the ADA National Network Knowledge Translation Center. Much of Dr Gould’s work is inspired by his PhD dissertation on the social and cultural impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on topics related to disability and social movements, including ‘Disability in World Culture.’ Dr Gould has recently started a research project that compares the implementation of disability rights in the US and Uganda which will no doubt be enhanced through his trip. He will be supporting Peter Ogik and Esther Nakamwa in Uganda. Ogik’s project focuses on employing six Source of the Nile Union of Persons with Albinism (SNUPA) as community journalists to address stigma related to disability, and specifically Albinism. Nakamwa’s project also centers around addressing disability stigma- through the creation of an organization that will broker jobs for people with disabilities.

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Located in Chicago, IL, IDHD has been providing leadership on matters of inclusive employment in the midwest through its extensive student body and staff initiatives. Two of such initiatives include Punch-In, a self- directed employment platform leveraging social media and online net-working through an online course, and Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Education for people with disabilities, an education initiative that assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to small business development amongst people with disabilities. They also assist in the running of the Great Lakes ADA Center, leader in ADA implementation and an implementor of both the Punch-In program and ADA Success Stories which works to identify best practices on disability inclusion.

IDHD has recently begun a collaboration with faculty at Kyambogo University in Uganda and hopes to strengthen their relationship with the East African nation through this fellowship. The existing partnership focuses on a research project that collects information to compare the implementation of disability employment policies in the United States and in Uganda. In addition to their connections with East Africa, the center is very international on a broader scale. They have experience participating in a number of exchanges and have hosted professionals from countries as diverse as Australia, Taiwan, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Croatia, Colombia, and Peru. They have also hosted Japanese professionals in the disability field through the Shimizu Foundation and several Fulbright Scholars.

Robert Gould is the UIC Assistant Clinical Professor who will mentor Peter and Esther.