[DCAD] Announcement: DCAD Fellowship Grants Awarded for IGF 2025

Sun Jun 8 12:21:11 PDT 2025

Warmest congratulations to the selected DCAD Fellows!

As a proud alumnus of the program, I know firsthand what an extraordinary
opportunity this is. You're about to embark on the most incredible journey
to advocate for internet inclusion for persons with disabilities and truly
make a difference in the world of digital inclusion. Wishing you all the
very best for a phenomenal DCAD Fellowship experience for IGF 2025!

My sincere gratitude goes out to the DCAD leadership for their continuous
dedication to ensuring persons with disabilities are meaningfully included
in the IGF.

Best wishes,
*Nicodemus Nyakundi*
*Digital Rights and Accessibility*
@*KICTANet* <https://www.kictanet.or.ke/>

On Fri, Jun 6, 2025 at 10:45 PM Mustapha Abdulkadir via DCAD <
dcad at lists.igf-dcad.org> wrote:

>
> ---
>
> **Subject:** Congratulations to the DCAD Fellows & Inquiry About
> Membership
>
> Dear Dr. Shabbir and the DCAD Team,
>
> Congratulations to the selected fellows—Ngwa Jolenta Rose Afanwi, Sarah
> Kekeli Akunor, Emmanuel Oruk, and Raynom Pitakaka—for this well-deserved
> opportunity! Thank you also to the Fellowship Selection Committee, Google
> LLC, and Vint Cerf for your tireless efforts and support in advancing
> accessibility and inclusion in digital governance.
>
> I do have a question regarding DCAD membership. Despite being subscribed
> to the mailing list for three months, I’ve been unable to locate my name in
> the official member directory on the website. Could you kindly clarify the
> steps to formalize community membership? Any guidance would be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thank you for your time and continued work toward a more inclusive
> internet.
>
> Best regards,
> **Martins Nwanakwere**
> Student Researcher
> US Research Software Engineering Society
>
> ---
>
> ### Key improvements:
> 1. **Structure**: Separated congratulatory remarks from the membership
> inquiry for clarity.
> 2. **Tone**: Kept it professional and courteous while being concise.
> 3. **Specificity**: Explicitly named the fellows/contributors to show
> attentiveness.
> 4. **Actionable Ask**: Clearly stated the issue and requested next steps.
>
> For Mustapha’s note: If you’d like to add a similar inquiry, replace the
> signature and adjust the wording slightly (e.g., "I’m also unsure how to
> confirm my membership status—could you advise?").
>
> On Fri, 6 Jun 2025, 8:28 pm Adebunmi Akinbo via DCAD, <
> dcad at lists.igf-dcad.org> wrote:
>
>> Congratulations DCAD Fellows.
>>
>> On Fri, Jun 6, 2025, 6:57 PM Conrad Harris via DCAD <
>> dcad at lists.igf-dcad.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Congratulations to the four selected Fellows.
>>>
>>>
>>> C. Harris.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 6/4/2025 11:37 PM, mshabbirawan--- via DCAD wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear DCAD Community,
>>>
>>> I am pleased to share that, following a rigorous and highly competitive
>>> selection process, the *Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and
>>> Disability (DCAD)* has awarded *Fellowship Grants* to support the
>>> participation of persons with disabilities at the upcoming *Internet
>>> Governance Forum (IGF) 2025*, to be held in *Lillestrøm, Norway, from
>>> June 23 to 27, 2025*.
>>>
>>> This year’s fellowships include both *in-person participants*, who will
>>> receive support for travel, accommodation, and accessibility related costs,
>>> and *remote participants*, who will be supported to ensure effective
>>> and meaningful engagement in the IGF online. All fellows are expected to
>>> attend DCAD sessions, complete the *Disability Leadership in Internet
>>> Governance and Digital Rights* course offered by the Internet Society,
>>> and share a written or multimedia reflection following the event.
>>>
>>> We received a significant number of high-quality applications from
>>> around the world for a limited number of fellowship slots. After thoughtful
>>> and diligent evaluation, the following fellows have been selected:
>>> *In-Person Fellows*
>>>
>>>    - Ngwa Jolenta Rose Afanwi
>>>    - Sarah Kekeli Akunor
>>>
>>> *Remote Participation Fellows*
>>>
>>>    - Emmanuel Oruk
>>>    - Raynom Pitakaka
>>>
>>> All the selected fellows have been contacted through separate emails.
>>> The fellow selection was carried out by the *DCAD Fellowship Selection
>>> Committee*, composed of:
>>>
>>>    - *Deirdre Williams*
>>>    - *Cato Lie*
>>>    - *Gunela Astbrink*
>>>    - *Judith Hellerstein*
>>>
>>> We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the selected fellows and
>>> express our deep appreciation to all applicants for their dedication and
>>> continued advocacy for accessibility. A special thank you goes to our
>>> Fellowship Selection Committee for their time, wisdom, and care in
>>> reviewing the applications and making these difficult decisions.
>>>
>>> We are also deeply grateful to *Vint Cerf* and *Google LLC* for their
>>> continued and generous support for DCAD’s mission and the 2025 Fellowship
>>> Program. Their longstanding commitment has been instrumental in enabling
>>> the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in global digital
>>> policy processes.
>>>
>>> We look forward to the impactful contributions our fellows will bring to
>>> IGF 2025 and to advancing our shared goal of a more accessible and
>>> inclusive Internet for all.
>>>
>>> With sincere thanks,
>>> *Dr. Muhammad Shabbir*
>>> Coordinator
>>> IGF - Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD)
>>> Member, Global Leadership Council – IAAP
>>> Twitter: https://twitter.com/MShabbirPhD/
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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>>
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