Susan Sygall

Susan Sygall is the Executive Director of Mobility International USA.

"Sygall is an influential advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. She is the co-founder and executive director of Mobility International USA (MIUSA), an organization with a global reach and a network of exchange programs focused on the rights of individuals, especially women, with disabilities. From her wheelchair, Sygall inspires people to achieve more than they-and society-thought possible. She has changed the lives of countless women, often in the poorest and most isolated parts of the world. She strives to encourage budding leaders and policymakers to secure for disabled persons the rights and opportunities that will permit them to contribute more fully to their communities.

"Sygall's strategy melds leadership development with economic and social development at local, national, and international levels. Her work spans not only the design of architectural environments, but the design of international programs. Indeed, Sygall has broadened the concept of "universal design" to include all means that promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities. She has focused a spotlight on the under-representation in international development programs of disabled women as partners, staff, and clientele. She has spearheaded such gatherings as the 1995 International Symposium on Women with Disabilities in Beijing, the 1997 Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability, and the 1998 International Symposium on Microcredit for Women with Disabilities.

"Sygall is executive director of Mobility International USA. She received a B.S. (1976) from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. (1981) from the University of Oregon. Before founding MIUSA in 1981, she was co-founder and executive director of the Bay Area Outreach Recreation Program and the Disabled Women's Coalition. Since 1983, she has developed programs with the U.S. Information Agency and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations. She is an advisor to the Global Fund for Women. A Kellogg National Leadership Fellow (1986-1989), she received the Rotary Scholar Alumni Achievement Award in 1998." 


 * Advisory Board, Mental Disability Rights International