Our 2025 Year in Review

This January marked DSI's 10th anniversary! Ten years of listening, learning, partnering, and walking alongside educators, families, and disability leaders around the world. Ten years of believing that every child can thrive to their fullest potential, and that every person deserves belonging, meaningful participation, and a future marked by dignity, hope, and shared contribution.

This year, that belief helped us reach a meaningful new milestone. DSI is officially in Africa. In November and December, we held our first two remote expansion trainings in Kenya and Uganda, equipping 30 local leaders and teachers and reaching a total of 639 children with disabilities (CWD).

These trainings are not just about content, but about access. As one participant said, “They say people who are thirsty come to the well, but here the well came to us!”

One powerful moment from these sessions stays with us. During a training, a young girl with disabilities was identified who “speaks in a very low voice and rarely speaks.” Years earlier, she had been told that if she shouted, she could trigger a seizure. Even her parents never knew why she behaved this way - until that day.

With accurate information and compassionate understanding, her community began to see her differently, and she and her family now had access to local changemakers who were ready to help. This is why training matters.

While celebrating expansion, we also honor a year of continued impact in Cambodia, where DSI has long partnered with courageous, dedicated local leaders to equip the growing field of special education. This year was different - and deeply challenging - because of ongoing conflict and instability. Even so, our partners persisted. Through the efforts of our Master Trainers, DSI's curriculum was shared with an additional 464 trainees, including in two new Provinces of the country. As one teacher shared, “All DSI module lessons are very beneficial for teachers, as they provide a strong foundation for supporting children with special needs.”

Connection remained a lifeline this year. We hosted remote meetings focused on sharing knowledge, building confidence, and strengthening hope, bringing together 29 participants from Cambodia, Kenya, Jamaica, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Pakistan, alongside 7 volunteers and leads from DSI and our co-host, Advancing Education. Across screens and continents, voices echoed with gratitude: “Thank you very much for the training and bringing us all together, it’s so wonderful!” and simply, “I don’t know how to thank you enough…”

Our Global Disability Directory (GDD) also continued to grow and be used as a trusted and necessary resource. The GDD now has 528 active organizational profiles in 117 countries, with ongoing improvements to usability and accessibility - helping families, practitioners, and advocates find support where they live.

Efforts are even underway now to translate DSI training tools and resources into additional languages, including Swahili, reflecting the sense of urgency of potential partners and local leaders (voluntarily embarking on these translation efforts) and our commitment to expansion and local relevance.

Ten years in, we are humbled by what has been built and energized by what lies ahead.

As one participant reminded us, “I have learned many new things, and I have a different perspective toward children with disabilities now because of what I’ve learned. 

That shift in perspective is the heart of DSI’s work, and the reason we step into the next decade with hope and determination.

Thank you to each and every person who has been - and continues to be - part of this journey with us: our dedicated volunteers and board members, our generous financial supporters, our ambassadors and advocates, and every changemaker walking alongside DSI and supporting this mission. We would not be here today without you.

Learn more about DSI's next steps and upcoming program plans now!