Philadelphia’s Office for People with Disabilities joined the Mandela Washington Fellowship event at Drexel University on July 1, contributing to dialogues on disability rights and innovation with Sub-Saharan African leaders. This year’s fellowship, part of the U.S. Government's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) since 2014, welcomed 25 individuals from across the continent with proven track records in community and societal advancement.
At the event, the Office had conversations with participants from nations such as Uganda, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. According to the City of Philadelphia, these interactions focused on raising awareness and pushing for policy reforms to better support people with disabilities within their countries. The Office also met with fellows keen on understanding the positives of Philadelphia's accommodations for individuals with disabilities, to potentially replicate them back home.
The fellowship saw one of the Nigerian participants and a deaf person visit the Philadelphia Office on July 21 to gather insights on the organization’s work. This individual, impressed by the city’s accessible transportation system, indicated that such an infrastructure does not exist back in Nigeria.
