WTBBL Director Danielle Miller. (Photo courtesy of WTBBL)

As director of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library in Seattle, Danielle Miller has devoted many years to helping thousands of Washingtonians who are unable to read standard print.

Miller soon will have an opportunity to share her experience and expertise with people in Egypt.

How did this happen?

Last May, Miller hosted two participants in the U.S. Department of State’s Professional Fellows Program (PFP), administered by Hands Along the Nile Development Services, Inc. (HANDS), a U.S. based organization committed to promoting intercultural understanding between the U.S. and Middle East.

The Fellows, hailing from Tunisia and Egypt, spent three weeks working on issues of library services for people with disabilities and accessibility and began a great exchange of ideas. Miller departs tomorrow for Cairo, Egypt, on a Professional Fellows Program Reverse Exchange. This trip will bring representatives from American organizations who hosted a professional fellow in 2016 to the Middle East/North Africa region to continue collaborating on important issues related to NGO development, women’s empowerment, and disability rights.

Said Miller:

“I’m excited to be reunited with Samia Talaat, the Professional Fellow from Egypt who spent time at WTBBL, and meet other Egyptians working to improve services for people with disabilities. Having the opportunity to meet new people, share information and see amazing sights like the pyramids, the Nile, and more is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The reverse exchange is a component that is intended to continue to strengthen the personal, professional, and institutional relationships formed in 2016. Through the Department of State’s Professional Fellows Program (PFP), a two-way exchange embraces the power of finding creative solutions to challenges individual citizens may face in their home communities.

Good luck and safe travels, Danielle!