Dinka Vukovic Biography

Dinka Vukovic earned her M. Sc in Engineering, Area Telecommunications and Information at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Zagreb, Croatia in 1995. She is working in the company Ericsson Nikola Tesla as the head of strategic programs for the customers and internal projects in the field of telecommunications and information and communication technologies for health (ICT – Information Communication Technology).

In 2000, she gave birth to a boy, Philip, who has Down syndrome. Together with her husband, she worked a lot on the boy’s development by using several methods: functional learning (FU-Functional learning), speech development by using symbols, reading and mathematics. In the teaching and work with the boy, she used the latest knowledge in working with children with Down syndrome in the world, mostly from the UK and USA. During his 12 years in the school, she was involved in the preparation of educational materials together with his teachers and teaching assistants. Her son finished secondary school for the economist in 2020.

She is a member of the Down Syndrome Association Zagreb since 2002. Croatian Down Syndrome Association (CDSA) established in 2005. and from the beginning, she is the president of the Association. Since 2020. she is the president of the European Down Syndrome Association (EDSA).

Through her work for the association she prepared and held since 2010. over 30 training courses and workshops for the members of CDSA, teachers, parents, teaching assistances on themes “Education of children with Down syndrome”, How to learn this hard math”, “How to use tool Boardmaker with Speaking Dynamically”. She is the project manager for all CDSA projects in Croatia and also on EU projects in which CDSA is usually a partner. She is a co-author of the book “Down syndrome-Guide for Parents and Professionals” (four editions) and editor of the series in the Croatian language of Down syndrome (2009-2015) in which they are translated eight books from the Down Syndrome Education International (http://www.dseinternational.org/en-gb/).

Her interest is in early education, school education, school inclusion, preparation for independent living and employment for children and youngsters with Down syndrome.