Susan Sygall

CEO, Mobility International USA (MIUSA)

University of Portland Honorary Degree Recipient, 2019

Our organization, Mobility International USA, advances disability rights and leadership globally.

When I give my reflections of 2021 along with everybody else, I think it was really a difficult year, but there were also glimpses of some really special things. 

Our organization has an international disabled women's leadership program, and I myself am a wheelchair rider. It's such an exciting program because it brings together disabled women from throughout the world. Usually we have it in person, so it was a big disappointment not to be able to do that this year. But instead we had it on Zoom, and we were able to have 38 women—which is a lot more than we usually have—from 38 countries. We translated it into English, Spanish, International Sign Language, and ASL and also provided captions. In the end, we created this amazing community of disabled women throughout the world. 

I have to say, I was a bit surprised that you could get this feeling of solidarity, this feeling of sisterhood, just by talking to a screen. But I also am hoping very much now for 2022 that we're able to bring that community of women together in person. As much as I think Zoom is an amazing platform to reach more people and do it in a way that makes things more accessible to more people around the world, you also do miss a bit of a different kind of interaction, and that is the human one-on-one interaction. 

In closing, I'm hopeful that, in 2022, the world will continue to not get back to where it was but to create a new reality of what the world should be. It's definitely made everyone resilient to have to deal with so many things, and I'm very grateful that I'm in a home with food and I'm safe. I'm really hoping that, when I reflect back on last year, that this year the vaccination and the resources for everybody to be safe throughout the world becomes a reality. 

When I think of those special person-to-person moments, I have to reflect on the wonderful, beautiful time I had at the University of Portland when I had the great honor of receiving an honorary doctorate there. And those memories will stay with me forever. 

Those are my reflections for 2021, and I wish everyone a safe and meaningful 2022.