Being Inclusive in International Education: Supporting Students with Disabilities
Gary Rhodes
Associate Dean, International Education & Senior International Officer,
College of Extended & International Education
Director, Center for Global Education
California State University at Dominguez Hills
This month, I’m collaborating with Cerise Roth-Vinson at Mobility International USA, (MIUSA) to focus on a group of students that often get overlooked on college campuses when doing outreach and developing and implementing study abroad programs: students with disabilities.
“I have an impact simply by being here,” says Erin Moriarty Harrelson, a PhD candidate in anthropology at American University and one of five grantees selected for a Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, which is the first of its kind. Moriarty Harrelson, who is deaf, is traveling throughout Cambodia for nine months, exploring the emergence of a post-Khmer Rouge deaf culture.
More and more students with disabilities, like Erin, are pursuing the same dream as their peers to study abroad in another country or come to the United States for their degrees. They are boarding planes, packing medications, volunteering with local disability organizations, talking with therapists abroad, and contracting with sign language interpreters. But would you know where to go to find resources to support their participation without reinventing the wheel?
Free resources, training and technical assistance are available from the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, a comprehensive center sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Mobility International USA.
When looking at resources available to support U.S. citizens abroad, MIUSA is an organization where our tax dollars are really resulting in good work. When a student with a disability comes to your office, it is critical not to pre-judge what their needs may be. It is important to engage in a dialogue about study abroad and not jump to disability-related accommodations unless they ask you about them. It is important to look at each student’s situation as a unique one that requires review and an assessment of a program’s ability to provide support.
MIUSA (www.miusa.org) has many useful resources. This includes an expanded Resource Library that makes searching for tools like accommodation forms, insurance considerations, checklists, tip sheets and personal stories even easier. To get started, you can:
- Sign up for the monthly Access to Exchange E-news to stay updated on new tips and scholarship announcements
- Browse a collection of topics on Coming to the U.S., or Americans Going Abroad with a Disability
- Read the new AWAY magazine issue covering Non-Apparent disabilities
- Search the extensive Resource Library on any topic, any disability, any country
In every community, in every part of the world people with disabilities are taking their rightful place. To make an impact, take the time to meet with your disabilities support services and counseling offices on campus. International students with disabilities on the home campus can also benefit from this collaboration: disability professionals on campus can guide students on what community services, accessible public transportation, and assistive equipment are available to non-U.S. citizens, and there are many! Engage in a dialogue on what resources are portable for students with disabilities who go abroad and advocate that study abroad is equally important and available. Refer leaders to the institution’s mission statement and other non-discrimination statements to link disability and diversity with global education goals. Leading institutions are removing barriers to make study abroad programs more inclusive and accessible to all students.
“Students with disabilities are a vast, untapped resource for leaders in the international exchange field, says Susan Sygall, CEO of Mobility International USA and Macarthur fellow. “They are a powerful force in our citizen diplomacy efforts. As we celebrate IEW 2014 and the goals of Generation Study Abroad, it’s crucial that we do specific outreach to reach people with disabilities to make sure these efforts embrace the rights of persons with disabilities.”
As you connect with International Education Week 2014 and join with the IIE Generation Study Abroad effort to increase study abroad participant numbers as well as the number of international students on campus, remember to include all students on your campus, like those with disabilities.