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Forum on International Collaborative Research in Rehabilitation
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Ken Nash, Ed.D.,
Researcher
National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of
Technology (RIT); formerly Director,
Office of
International Partnerships (RIT), Rochester, New York
Abstract
What is an international partnership? A personal definition: an alluring and distant enterprise, filled with cultural subtleties, laden with bureaucratic expectations, framed by limited resources, and born of high expectations. How to choose the right opportunity? How to maintain core support (financial, political, and intellectual)? How to balance needs and benefits? How to identify and respect differences? These are some of the issues which take on special significance when two or more institutions reach across international boundaries. The speaker will consider the dynamic of building and maintaining a successful international initiative. He will address factors beyond the "goals and objectives" section of a proposal factors which often determine real success: communication, team building, work style, institutional support. The speaker will share personal examples drawn from international projects in the fields of special education, technology transfer, and higher education.