Following the tradition established in 2001, 2003, and 2005, PEN-International supported the NTID Technology and Deaf Education Symposium, held on the RIT campus. PEN-International uses the occurrence of the Symposium to bring representatives of PEN partners and affiliates to Rochester to attend important PEN-International meetings and to participate at the Symposium.

This year PEN partners traveled to Rochester from China, Russia, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Czech Republic, Korea, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Additionally, a specialist in deaf education attended from Kenya.

Selected PEN partners participated in special meetings related to Africa, Russia and a special self-study process designed to collect impartial feedback from key partners as to the effectiveness of the PEN programs in their home countries.

Following the tradition established in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2008 PEN-International supported the NTID Technology and Deaf Education Symposium, held on the RIT campus. PEN-International uses the occurrence of the Symposium to bring representatives of PEN partners and affiliates to Rochester to attend important PEN-International meetings and to participate at the Symposium.

This year PEN partners traveled to Rochester from China, Russia, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Czech Republic, Korea, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

All PEN partners and affiliates were included in the June 20, 2010 PEN-International Business Meeting. High on the agenda was a review of the PEN-International Year 9 Report and an open discussion on the partner plans to continue the PEN-International agenda. Each partner and affiliate was given the opportunity to provide the group with a brief presentation about their program's accomplishments of the past year.

Mr. Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation of Japan, addressed the PEN-International business meeting and presented the opening remarks at the technology symposium. Mr. Sasakawa, who was awarded a Presidential Medallion Sunday by RIT President Bill Destler, also expressed gratitude to NTID Interim President James DeCaro, who is founding director of PEN-International. He asked that the Ryoichi Sasakawa Endowed Scholarship Fund at RIT/NTID be renamed to include DeCaro's name as well.

Many of the PEN partners participated in the Technology and Deaf Education Symposium, Chaired by PEN Interim Director, E. William Clymer. The papers and posters at the Symposium focused on the used of technology for instruction and access in the education of deaf students.

Global Collaboration Strives to Break Stereotypes