Our 2024 Year in Review

We’ve got some good news for you! With the support of generous friends and dedicated volunteers, in 2024, Disability Support International (DSI) continued to improve education for children with disabilities and work to lessen the inequality for people living with disabilities in our world today.

Learn more through some numbers we’re proud of, and then meet a few of the people who are making positive changes in the world.

DSI’s 2024 By the Numbers

• 392 Cambodian teachers and educational leaders participated in training sessions, reaching and improving the lives and education of 1,310 children with significant disabilities. This critically-needed information also reached parents, community settings, and other local governmental and non-governmental organizations.

  
  

• 8 US-based disability professionals traveled to Cambodia to work directly with DSI’s partners (Master Trainers, teacher trainees, and children with disabilities and their parents). Additionally, 5 university students traveled to Cambodia with DSI, gaining unique cross-cultural and multidisciplinary team learning experiences. Learn more about the experiences of groups that traveled in May 2024 and July 2024.

  
  
  

  

  

  
  
  

• 100% of Master Trainers said they felt confident to train others after participating in the July rollout training of Module 3: Communication Strategies. And 88% of teacher trainees reported improved competence and understanding after receiving DSI’s training.
  

• On average, 35.7 teacher trainees receive monthly coaching at our partner organizations, deepening their understanding and ability to fully apply training content in their classrooms. The associated cost of this essential support is just $7 per teacher - help us continue these vital sessions throughout 2025!
  

• More than $100k of skilled volunteer time was donated to DSI’s development, operations, and program work. Would you like to get involved?

DSI’s Community

Kalyan is a DSI Master Trainer and one of the most dedicated leaders in the emerging field of special education in Cambodia. She has grown immensely in her confidence and abilities since partnering with DSI shortly after our founding in 2016. Kalyan now works as a government officer helping to develop special education as a profession in the country and tirelessly training new and current teachers who want to understand how to educate children with disabilities. She also continues to work with children with significant disabilities and their families directly.

Kaylan shared that “many children are on the waiting list because we don’t have enough classrooms and teachers ... I hope for the teachers to have professional skills in supporting children to learn and I hope for children to be successful at school and [that] they have a good life in the future.” Learn more about Kaylan and her goals for teachers and students with disabilities.

Thy is DSI’s Cambodian Program Coordinator. One of our two (currently part-time) DSI staff members, Thy is the key liaison for the program work that takes place with our partner organizations. He provides essential leadership, wise advice, skilled coordination, and crucial translation services that advance DSI’s work in Cambodia. In just the past four months, he has helped design and attended almost all of DSI’s Communications module training sessions led by our Master Trainers. Learn more about how Thy has contributed to DSI’s success.

Julie is a skilled volunteer who made her first trip to Cambodia in 2024. She is an instructor at East Tennessee State University and coordinator for the East Tennessee Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program. Julie met Jennie, DSI Cofounder and Executive Director and Thy, Cambodia Program Coordinator in 2022 in Vietnam when all three were presenting at the International Association for Special Education conference. Julie began volunteering her time and skills to DSI by supporting our partners via remote projects. Then in May 2024, Julie helped lead a team of faculty and students on a trip to Cambodia to work directly with teachers, families, and local organizations. Julie has since launched her own nonprofit to focus on providing students with disabilities in developing countries the resources they need to advance education. This has already provided a tuk-tuk to DDSP Cambodia, one of DSI’s partner organizations that works in rural Cambodia. DDSP’s director Samnang told us, “the tuk-tuk arrived at a great time of need as the students missed a month of school because there was no way to transport the students. In November, the students started off their new school year with a brand new motorbike and tuk-tuk!”

The Global Disability Directory

DSI developed and maintains the only international directory of disability services of its kind. In 2024, we added the 500th organization and 116th country to our Global Disability Directory (GDD). Each organization listed has a unique story of the services they provide and their community. We learn as much as we can about each one, leveraging this global network to bring greater visibility and strength. This 500th organization, located in Syria, found us and asked to be added to our directory to increase awareness of the work they are doing to help people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Around the world, our Global Disability Directory resource provides essential information on where to find assistive services. When we referred one person with disabilities to the directory, he responded, “Thanks a lot for such valuable information. I will always and always remain grateful to you for providing me such an information that I would have never gotten from anywhere else. Profound regards!” Learn more about the assistance the GDD has provided.

Positive Change

Everyone at DSI remains committed to supporting local changemakers and children with disabilities, who are one of the most vulnerable populations. We are determined to build on the progress we’ve made and train more teachers, partner with more organizations, and improve more lives in 2025.

Our thanks to everyone who has helped us achieve all that we have so far - we count on you to help us make positive changes and do good work in the years to come.