The Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education Assistant Director Diana “Dee” Katovitch will travel to the University of Iceland this April as a Fulbright specialist. Katovich will spend three weeks in Reykjavik working with the university to develop new opportunities for inclusive coursework and more robust involvement with matriculated undergraduates.
Dee Katovitch
The Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning and related subjects at academic institutions abroad. As assistant director of the Taishoff Center and coordinator of the Peer-2-Peer Program, Katovich has played a significant role in the development of InclusiveU, which brings students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to Syracuse University for a fully inclusive college experience. The program has continued to grow and thrive as more members of the campus community gain awareness and InclusiveU students become further integrated into campus life. Katovich has been working with colleagues at the University of Reykjavik since 2016 and looks forward to joining them on campus to provide technical assistance and share resources.
“I’m not sure who is more excited, me or them!” chuckles Katovitch when asked about her upcoming trip. “It’s a such a great opportunity to learn about inclusion and educational opportunity in other countries.”
Katovich graduated from Syracuse University (B.S., School of Education ’90; Certificate of Advanced Study in Disability Studies, ’14) and SUNY Cortland (M.S. in reading ’95) and is currently a doctoral student in the higher education program at SU. She previously worked for 21 years as a special education teacher in New York State public schools. She has authored two books about the disability community: “The Power to Spring Up: Postsecondary Education Opportunities for Students with Significant Disabilities” (2009) and “Beautiful Children,” about the first school for children with intellectual disability in the United States (2016).
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