‘Improve the world in whatever we do’

Utah State University has agreed to help the Dominican Republic establish and develop programs for persons with disabilities, according to a recently announced agreement between the university and the country’s first lady.

The agreement encourages joint teaching, research, conferences, and cultural programs — with a likely focus on children and adolescents with disabilities. Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services — which includes several offices on campus that provides support to people with disabilities — is administering the agreement.

USU President Noelle Cockett and Cándida Montilla de Medina, first lady of the Dominican Republic, signed the agreement at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City earlier this month.

“You hear often that we’re the land-grant for the state, but I do believe that the land-grant draws people and research and education and expertise that really want to improve the world in whatever we do,” Cockett said. “It’s just so perfect for our clinical services unit to be working with the DR.”

In a USU news release, Montilla de Medina said she’s satisfied with the agreement that was worked out.

“It will be beneficial and will allow us to draw on the results of your scientific research and that vast experience you have,” she said, referring to USU.

The DR has a project spearheaded by the first lady called the Center for Integral Care of the Disabled, which specializes helping children with autism, cerebral palsy and Down’s Syndrome. Under the terms of the agreement, the center could utilize USU employees from USU’s Center for Persons with Disabilities, Autism Support Services Education Research and the Assistive technology Lab to bolster the efforts of the DR center.

Shelly Ortiz, a program director in USU’s Office of Global Engagement, emphasized the agreement contained broad-based language, and many details about how USU will help the DR have yet to be worked out.

“This is a general agreement for cooperation where we’re encouraging each other, we’re exploring opportunities. Nothing is concrete,” she said. “USU needs to do some exploratory visits and become familiar with what they do have on the ground and then identify areas maybe we could contribute, help build the infrastructure they’re working on.”

Cockett sees great potential with the new agreement between the university and the DR.

“Here’s a country and a first lady that realizes her country has many, many people with disabilities and they’re trying to build infrastructure to help them and their families,” she said. “We can go in, show them things that we’ve done … but we can also help them train the people of the DR that can then move into those roles.”

USU and the DR have a relationship stretching back to the early 2000s.

According to a USU news release, USU accepts students from the DR through the Dominican Republican Presidential Scholarship for Superior Students. Over the last 17 years nearly 400 DR-native USU students have received degrees and over 400 have studied on campus in non-degree programs.

USU President Noelle Cockett and Cándida Montilla de Medina, first lady of the Dominican Republic, sign an agreement to help advance the nation's disability services at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Aug. 10.

Submitted photo

USU President Noelle Cockett and Cándida Montilla de Medina, first lady of the Dominican Republic, sign an agreement to help advance the nation's disability services at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Aug. 10.

Submitted photo