Maximizing Support for Students with Disabilities in Study Abroad (1)
Posted: August 5, 2022
By: Sub-group of 2021-2022 Fundamentals of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force
Catherine Clark Ph.D., Associate Professor of French & English, Director of Study Abroad, Averett University
Johileny Meran, Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA
- Audience: Education Abroad professionals
- Addressing the presence of disability in DEI
- Challenges: Varying degrees of “visibility”of disability related resources and support in international exchange.
Conversations around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) continue to grow in the field of education abroad and international exchange. As the work continues our Task Force wondered in what ways disability inclusion is represented in DEI work. It is worth noting that students with disabilities can also hold other identities that may be underrepresented in study abroad programs, and yet they represented a particularly underserved population in global education. So how do we maximize support for students with disabilities? One place to start is integrating disability inclusion into DEI efforts that are already in place.
Considerations for Inclusive Support
Establishing inclusive support is about taking a proactive approach to building an infrastructure that’s prepared to welcome and accommodate disabled students from program recruitment to re-entry after participation.
Consider that disability often overlaps with health and wellness: lean into a cooperative/supportive relationship with all related associates and offices to share both domestic and on-site resources. Along the same lines there are cultural differences to understanding disability and access. It is important to acknowledge this and discuss how it may impact a student’s experience.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) does apply to international education programs that are credit-bearing at an institution of higher education. Education Abroad offices bear responsibilities to reasonably accommodate disabled students; this also means they can reasonably demand resources to this end. For example, “Staff need to analyze each request for an accommodation on a case-by-case basis and avoid making assumptions about a disability. For instance, a person with vision loss may not be able to read Braille.” - Postsecondary Institutions and Students With Disabilities | ADA National Network).
So how can students with disabilities be supported in making decisions on participating in a program?
One example of integrating disability inclusion towards maximizing support is taking a two-pronged approach. Students with disabilities may need disability-related accommodations but they also need to understand disability culture at their site of interest.
- Students with disabilities may need to consider what disability-related accommodations they will need while abroad and how these accommodations would be provided on their site.
- Program providers can share information about the disability culture in the abroad site. For example, how is public transportation that students may use accessible in the abroad site, and if not accessible what are some alternative options for transportation. Another thing to consider is disability culture, how do the local community treat people with disabilities.
This two-part approach (2) considers support to be both about one-on-one in terms of disability-related accommodations and general in terms of disability being a part of a student’s social identity.
Networking for Expanded Global Support Systems
The field of international education is unique in many ways because of its wide ranging ability and willingness to collaborate— between private and public institutions, across borders, even among program competitors, people will exchange information and partner up to grow and diversify.
You don’t have to have all the answers and resources within your office – seek out partners, advocates, and experts!
Most importantly, when a student discloses a disability, begin with an open mind and willingness to work together. [see the expanded MIUSA Advising guide]
- Start with the student: Ask them how they can be most successful on the program. What accommodations, equipment, or modifications will remove barriers and create access? They are the expert on their disability, while you are the expert on the program and host site.
- Consult with the program provider, on-site team, and other relevant parties who support people with disabilities. Use these connections to find resources and make arrangements based on the student’s expressed needs.
- Use guidance forms and information the individual shares to develop next steps. Knowing What Disability Questions to Ask: Sample Accommodations Forms | Mobility International USA
Provide practical site-specific resources for different student demographics. Partners on and off campus can include organizations that contribute to the developed resources for students with disabilities.
Some existing resources for supporting students with disabilities include:
Exploring Resources for Students with Disabilities
The way disability resources are presented in organizations can vary in nature, often creating a confusing or opaque network of information. Information can be under Diversity & Inclusion, Student Services, Health & Wellness, or Funding & Scholarship. This makes us wonder whether finding disability resources for prospective study abroad participants is challenging, time-consuming, and even discouraging. (For example, NAFSA includes disability resources under Supporting Diversity and Inclusion in Education Abroad and the Forum’s DEI resources on Disability are almost exclusively academic journal articles).
Here are some examples of resources for students with disabilities that demonstrate the varying ways in which disability information is provided to potential participants of exchange programs:
3rd party providers with disability specific programming/initiatives:
CAPA Global Education (“Health & Wellness”)
AIFS Abroad (“Student Resources” -> Access, Mobility, & Disability)
CEA Study Abroad (Diversity & Inclusion)
ISA WorldStrides (DEI Statement and links)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Abroad | USAC
Disability, Mental Health, & Self-Care Resources | IES Abroad
Many students with disabilities don’t realize they can physically study abroad or, conversely, that enriching virtual programs exist. Although the location of disability resources can vary across organizations, the visibility of online resources for students with disabilities can be an impactful way to convince students with disabilities that participating in exchange programs is an option for them.
Conclusion
Disability inclusion and improving accessibility in international exchange and study abroad programs are ongoing goals and need to be reexamined and revisited regularly. Set up an annual evaluation, gather feedback/input from students and staff so that your office can continue to expand the resources from organizations in the field. One step exchange professionals can take to maximize the support students with disabilities in exchange programs is by reflecting and exploring ways that they can make their exchange related DEI sessions more disability inclusive.
This piece was started to understand why disability-related resources in reference to exchange programs seem to be in different locations, under different titles or themes, or absent altogether. The intersectionality of disability services with other offices as well as the broad potential accessibility needs of disabled students can make inclusion challenging. We don’t know whether consistency of location will change. But the visibility of disability resources and outreach can be impactful. It is important to recognize that proactively integrating disability inclusion into all phases of the international exchange process is a crucial part of maximizing support for students with disabilities.
Resources
We are grateful to our colleagues in the Fundamentals of DEI task force for helping us compile these resources.
Authors
Johileny Meran, Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA
Catherine Clark,
Supported by various colleagues in the Fundamentals of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force 2021-22
(1) This article acknowledges the debate around person-first vs. identity-first language, which varies even within the disability community. We thus use “disabled” and “with disabilities” interchangeably to more inclusively describe affected populations. See NCDJ Disability Language Style Guide and APA Bias Free Style Guide
(2) The suggestion of a two part approach to integrating disability inclusion in exchange DEI efforts is influenced by the Twin-Track Approach principle in Guiding Principles for Excellence in Development & Disability Inclusion.