It is our great honor to announce the launch of the MIUSA Global Fellowship!
The 2026 MIUSA Global Fellowship recognizes MIUSA alumni from around the world who have shown outstanding leadership, accomplishment and innovation. These bold leaders are driving change in their communities, their countries, and the world, through their innovative approaches to complex challenges.
Meet the inaugural cohort of 2026 MIUSA Global Fellows here!
With the MIUSA Global Fellowship, we will co-create a vibrant new space, where disabled leaders can share support, revitalize and join forces with other activists on parallel leadership trajectories. We are proud to continue on our path together, to ensure that disabled people take their rightful place as leaders in this complex world.
We thank and honor the MIUSA Global Fellows, for their vision, tenacity and all that they have done to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
MIUSA is fortunate to count so many amazing leaders among out 2600+ alumni in over 135 countries. Although we are not able to recognize all of our outstanding alumni at this time, we hope to be able to continue with the fellowship, and new cohorts of fellows, in future years.
“I am a Kellogg Fellow, Ashoka Senior Fellow, and MacArthur Fellow, so I know how impactful these opportunities can be to heighten one’s leadership trajectory and to open doors to new networks. The recognition I received and the connections I made through my Fellowships have been instrumental in my career and lifelong dedication to activism in the disability rights space. I hope that our esteemed alumni will also feel recognized and honored to be part of this first group of MIUSA Global Fellows.”
– Susan Sygall, MIUSA CEO
Fellowship Activities and Benefits
MIUSA created the Global Fellowship to respond to what our alumni expressed that they need: for MIUSA to amplify their work, and to connect them to organizations and individuals in international development, international exchange, women’s leadership, philanthropy, peace-building, and more.
To this end, MIUSA Global Fellows will have access to the following activities and benefits:
Community of Practice
MIUSA Global Fellows will join a series of virtual convenings, to share insights, experience, and lessons learned with one another. Fellows will co-create and co-present the content of these webinars, on topics that support their leadership trajectories, personal and professional growth, and community priorities. These may include disability policy and legislation, climate change, disaster response, peace and security, preventing disability-and-gender-based violence, and resources for resilience and sustainability.
Online Recognition
We are proud to highlight our Fellows on the MIUSA website and other media. Meet the 2026 cohort of MIUSA Global Fellows here!
Global Disability Leadership Lab
Fellows will participate in MIUSA’s first-ever Global Disability Leadership Lab, a hybrid opportunity for Fellows to convene in-person and online to explore innovative ideas and future collaboration. The Lab will also include or complement the following events:
Global Disability and Development Institute (GDDI)
The Global Disability Leadership Lab will include a hybrid GDDI, inviting select international development and humanitarian organizations, philanthropists, funders, and other key stakeholders to join the Fellows in interactive workshops and discussions. Learn more about 2025 GDDI.
MIUSA 45th Anniversary Community Event
To celebrate 45 years of advancing disability rights and leadership globally, MIUSA will invite members of the local community in Eugene and Springfield to meet the Fellows during a community celebration. Learn more about MIUSA’s 45th anniversary.
Advanced WILD
Fellows who are also alumni of MIUSA’s Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) will also participate in an Advanced WILD program, with an intensive curriculum focused on disabled women’s leadership. Learn more about the WILD program.
The Global Disability Leadership Lab, GDDI, 45th Anniversary Event, and Advanced WILD will be held in Eugene, Oregon in October 2026. Those who are unable to travel to Eugene to attend in-person will be invited to attend virtual components of these events.
Support MIUSA Global Fellows
Thank you so much to all those who contribute to and sponsor this initiative!