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CFS Associate Professor Trina Spencer Shares Fulbright Experience in South Africa
Photo Left to Right: Dr. Juan Bornman, Bathobile Ngcobo, and Dr. Trina Spencer
鈥淎re We Together?鈥�
After several starts and stops and a year and a half delay, CFS Associate Professor Dr. Trina Spencer finally made it to South Africa. She won a Fulbright award in 2020, but due to COVID-19, she was unable to begin her experience until 2022. Now in Pretoria, South Africa, she works alongside colleagues at the .
To support a UP master鈥檚 student鈥檚 (Bathobile Ngcobo) first presentation on AAC, Dr. Spencer traveled with her colleague Dr. Juan Bornman to a rural town, Umzinto near Durban, South Africa. They were warmly welcomed despite Bathobile not being able to share with friends and family about the big event beforehand 鈥� as she explained 鈥淭his is a big event for me, like a wedding. In our culture, you cannot share big news like this before it happens鈥� only afterwards.鈥� The administration and teachers at Schola Amoris, a school for learners with special education needs, nonetheless, rolled out the red carpet to welcome the scholars. All 36 teachers were able to attend the training because the support staff and bus drivers filled in for them in the classrooms. The school principal, Mrs. SN Gumede is an exemplary leader, empowering her staff with knowledge and advocating for the reduction of barriers for learners with disabilities.
Bathobile gave a cogent and inspirational in