“We learned that persons with disabilities in Guatemala are often extremely isolated from their community and have little access to resources. However, we found HOPE in the fact that so many amazing leaders are creating change in Guatemala. This committee is designed to come alongside these leaders’ efforts and empower them with training, resources, and encouragment.” -Courtney McGovern, Executive Director
Our INclusion Alliance works with a team of speech pathologists, special educators and advocates in the U.S. to provide training and educational seminars for leaders and advocates in Guatemala. Our founding members are Annmarie Dymon and Elizabeth Robbins of Barrington, IL. We invest time, resources and talent into these organizations who bring hope, dignity, and empowerment to children.
Our 2020-2022 Special Educator Sponsorship + Training Project
Our Inclusion Alliance is currently working on training and funding a special educator for a children’s home in Guatemala that recently opened a campus for adults with disabilities that are aging out of the child welfare system in Guatemala.
Our 2019 Assitive Technology Project
In 2019, HOPE’S IN worked on a project with Autism Guatemala (AGUA). AGUA is a school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In 2018, AGUA received a donation of tablets so that they could integrate assistive technology in their classrooms. Our INclusion Alliance put together video training and guides for AGUA. They say the training has been really helpful and has facilitated better communication between teachers and students.
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INCLUSION ALLIANCE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
INCLUSION ALLIANCE
Elizabeth Robbins
Elizabeth Robbins is a Special Education Teacher at Barrington High School (BHS). Robbins is an Autism Specialist and a consultant at FUTURE SLTP. She became a member of the Inclusion Alliance Committee in January of 2019. Robbins says: “I was lucky enough to meet Courtney while she was a student at BHS. She was a member of a program I created and still sponsor at BHS called Lunch Buddies (LB). Through the LB program, it was apparent that Courtney and I shared a passion to help people become independent and be productive members of their community. Once Courtney established Hope’s In she reached out to me to help with the Inclusion Alliance. It has been a pleasure to work with Courtney and Educational Programs in Guatemala. Robbins received her BS in Special Education at Illinois State University, MA Education Teacher Leadership at St. Xavier University, Advanced Certified Autism Specialist at IBCCES University, and Social Thinking® Clinical Training Level 1 Assessment Observation.