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Program Highlights from Past Exchange Programs
Read about previous MIUSA programs and find inspiration for your own exchange experience.
2008 International Leadership Employment and Disability (I-LEAD) Latin America Exchange Program
Eugene, OR
About the Exchange: MIUSA convened men and women with disabilities from Latin America for a 21-day International Leadership Employment and Disability (I-LEAD) Exchange Program, which was generously sponsored by the Wal-Mart Foundation. From March 9th – 29th, 2008, delegates explored leadership challenges and exchanged strategies to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Latin America.
The I-LEAD program brought together 16 leaders with diverse experience and disabilities from Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. I-LEAD delegates contributed expertise in fields such as law, engineering, vocational training, education, and rehabilitation. Types of disabilities represented among I-LEAD delegates included Deafness and mobility, visual and health-related disabilities.
Through seminars and site visits, I-LEAD delegates joined with local and regional disability professionals to exchange ideas and strategies for promoting employment opportunities. Delegates visited local businesses that employ people with disabilities, explored options for adaptive technology in the workplace, and experienced Eugene’s 100% accessible public transportation as a key to employment. Discussions with U.S. Congressman Defazio, Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, and Former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey shed light on ways to influence policymakers and improve enforcement of laws in delegates’ own countries. Delegates also participated in team building activities such as a ropes challenge course, and learned about U.S. culture by staying with local families.
In addition to the Wal-Mart Foundation, other sponsors of the I-LEAD program included the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Mike & Lisa Sygall Scholarship Fund of Mobility International USA, and local businesses and families in the Eugene/Springfield community.
2007-2008 U.S./Bahrain: Youth Citizenship for Disability Inclusion Exchange Program
Eugene, OR & Manama, Bahrain
About the Exchange:
Mobility International USA (MIUSA) and the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation came together after being awarded a grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Together they hosted an innovative reciprocal international exchange program that began in the summer 2007 and continued through the spring of 2008. These programs brought together young leaders with and without disabilities from Bahrain and the United States to foster mutual understanding and respect, built leadership skills, and developed strategies for increasing citizen participation by youth in both countries.
2007 U.S./ Costa Rica Youth Leadership and Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Disability Rights Exchange Program
San Jose, Costa Rica
About the Exchange: In June and July of 2007, MIUSA led a 16-day exchange program to Costa Rica focused on leadership through disability rights and cross-cultural sharing. Thirteen delegates with disabilities, ages 18-24, took part in interactive workshops on disability rights and leadership with Costa Rican disability organizations, practiced Spanish through immersion, and experienced the food and culture with members of the local community. Delegates also participated in a volunteer service project at Carara National Park. The Costa Rica Program was funded by The New York Community Trust, DeWitt Wallace/Youth Travel Enrichment Fund, established in Community Funds by the co-founder of The Reader’s Digest Association.
3rd International Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD), and Gender, Disability and Development Institute 2006
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange: The most recent WILD, August 9-27, 2006, included grassroots leaders from 30 countries, committed to the human rights of women and girls with disabilities. The program culminated in the Gender, Disability and Development Institute (GDDI), in which WILD participants were joined by international development organizations. By exchanging experiences and ideas and raising key questions, participants explored practical strategies and highlighted the importance of inclusion of women with disabilities for achieving development goals. Dialogues between these diverse disability rights leaders and development professionals deepened our mutual understanding of the challenges faced by women with disabilities in developing countries as we explored possibilities for collaboration.
Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) and Youth Exchange and Study (YES)
Preparatory and Reentry Programs,
July 2005, April 2006, July 2006, April 2007, July 2007
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange: Since 1999, MIUSA has provided Reentry workshops and Preparatory workshops for students with disabilities. In these workshops, students discuss disability specific issues they may encounter during their one-year study abroad program in the US. The FLEX program places high school students from Eurasia in one-year exchange programs across the US. During the program, students participate in challenging, inclusive activities and attend interactive seminars in which they learn about strategies for achieving equal opportunities for citizens with disabilities. In MIUSA Reentry and Preparatory workshops, YES students from predominately Muslim countries who spend a year or semester at high schools across the US join FLEX students. All these young students with disabilities generate action plans to address priority issues facing people with disabilities in their home communities. MIUSA’s workshops are intended to help the students reflect on the disability-related aspects of their experience in the United States and to prepare for returning to their home countries. The FLEX and YES program and MIUSA’s Preparatory and Reentry programs are funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
Tokyo, Japan
About the Exchange: Twelve young people, ages 18-24, were chosen to take part in a three week cultural exchange program to Tokyo, Japan. Delegates participated in an international volunteer project at the Tokyo Wild Bird Park, attended cultural events such as a traditional tea ceremony and Tae Ko drumming, and attended workshops on education and disability laws in the US and Japan. Funded by the New York Community Trust, DeWitt Wallace/Youth Travel Enrichment Fund, the exchange program allowed the participants and their Japanese hosts to develop cross-cultural and cross-disability perspectives.
Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) 2004 Preparatory Program of
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (July 2004): MIUSA hosted a group of ten high school students with disabilities from the former Soviet Union for one week of leadership training and disability-specific skills. In preparation for a one-year exchange program in US high schools, the students participated in challenging, inclusive activities and attended interactive seminars in which they learned about inclusive education, disability rights, the ADA, and disability-specific community resources. The students explored the local community and learned about US culture while staying with local families.
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (April 2004): In May 2004 MIUSA hosted a group of sixteen high school students with disabilities from the former Soviet Union for a weekend of leadership training and reentry skills. The students participated in challenging, inclusive activities and attended interactive seminars in which they learned about strategies for achieving equal opportunities for citizens with disabilities. They also generated action plans to address priority issues facing people with disabilities in their home communities. MIUSA’s workshop is intended to help the students reflect on the disability-related aspects of their experience in the United States and to prepare for returning to their home countries.
US/England 2003 Cross Cultural Perspectives on Disability
England
About the Exchange (July 2003): MIUSA led a delegation of twelve young adults on a 14-day international exchange program to Portsmouth, Oxford and London, England, with a focus on leadership and the performing arts. During the program, participants met with representatives of the Portsmouth Disability Forum and Portsmouth Deaf Centre, took part in workshops on acting, dance, and disability rights. The group visited University of Oxford colleges, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, stayed in accessible youth hostels, and sampled English foods and culture with local host families. MIUSA thanks the DeWitt Wallace/Youth Travel Enrichment Fund for their generous support of this program.
Eugene, Oregon
About the exchange (September 17 - October 5, 2003): New and emerging disabled women leaders came together in Eugene, Oregon USA to strengthen leadership skills, exchange strategies, create new visions and build networks of support to improve the lives of women with disabilities around the world so they can work for the human rights of women with disabilities in their communities. Hands-on, interactive workshops focused on priority issues for women with disabilities including economic empowerment, income generation, employment, microenterprise, human and civil rights, empowerment of girls with disabilities through education, training, mentorship and skill-building, health and family issues, including parenting, sexuality, reproductive health, and violence. Women with disabilities joined members of the international development community to focus on strategies for change including organizational development and sustainability, funding resources and strategies, policy and legislation, grassroots advocacy, using the media, and building networks of support. Participants were women from Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guyana, India, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Malaysia, Nigeria, North America, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam. MIUSA thanks the Alcoa Foundation, Abilis, Kellogg Foundation, MIUSA donors, and members of the local Eugene community for support of this program.
Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Evaluation Program 2003
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (May 2003): In May 2003, MIUSA hosted a delegation of 14 high school students with disabilities from the former Soviet Union. FLEX students with disabilities studying in the US as part of an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State participated in a three-day intensive workshop in Eugene, Oregon, consisting of interactive reentry seminars, leadership training and community enrichment activities with a diverse group of people with disabilities from the United States. Students also participated in a fully accessible outdoor challenge course and took part in action planning workshops to identify strategies for increasing opportunities for future students with disabilities to participate in the FLEX program. MIUSA thanks Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State for their generous support of this bilateral program.
US/Japan Disability Professional Exchange 2003
Tokyo, Japan
About the Exchange (February 2003): MIUSA led a delegation of eight disability professionals from across the United States to Tokyo, Japan for the second phase of the US/Japan Disability Professional Exchange. During the 16-day program, delegates with and without disabilities continued dialogues with disability professionals in Japan that were previously established during the first phase of the program in Oregon (September 2002). Delegates met with representatives from the Japan Council on Independent Living Centers, Legal Advocacy for the Defense of Persons with Disabilities (LADD), Canon, and Waseda Shotengai District Public Relations Office. They also spoke at two symposiums on legislation and equal opportunities for education and employment in the US and Japan, fostered information and resource exchange, and new ideas for future collaboration with the Japanese disability community. MIUSA thanks The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership for their generous support of this bilateral program. Read personal stories by exchange program participants Alicia Hays and Ellen Rubin
US/Japan 2002 Disability Professional Exchange Program
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (September 2002): In September 2002, MIUSA hosted a delegation of disability professionals and emerging leaders from Japan in order to foster professional collaboration and public dialogue on contemporary disability issues in both countries. During the intensive ten-day program, participants met with professionals administering inclusive education and employment programs in the US, took part in seminars on the ADA and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and spoke of the work of disability rights activists in Japan at a community public forum. MIUSA is excited to lead a delegation of US professionals to Japan in 2003 in order to continue the dialogue started in Eugene, Oregon this September. MIUSA thanks The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership for their generous support of this bilateral program.
US/England 2002 Cross Cultural Perspectives on Disability
England
About the Exchange (June/July 2002): In June 2002, MIUSA led a delegation of eleven young adults as well as group leaders and ASL interpreters on a 14-day international exchange program to Portsmouth, Liverpool and London, England, with a focus on leadership and the performing arts. During the program, participants met with representatives of the Portsmouth Disability Forum and Portsmouth Deaf Centre, took part in workshops on acting, creative writing and movement, visited Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and sampled English foods and culture with local host families. MIUSA thanks the DeWitt Wallace/Youth Travel Enrichment Fund for their generous support of this program.
US/Costa Rica Cross Cultural Perspectives on Disability 2001
Costa Rica
About the Exchange (July 2001): MIUSA led a delegation of twelve young adults with various disabilities as well as exchange leaders and ASL interpreters to Costa Rica for a 14-day disability rights and leadership exchange program. Program delegates explored the history, geography, natural beauty and traditional foods of Costa Rica and made life-long friends while trekking through the Braulio Carrillo National Park and peering into the steaming crater of the Poas Volcano. MIUSA thanks the DeWitt Wallace/Youth Travel Enrichment Fund for their generous support of this program.
Loud, Proud & Passionate! International Leadership Exchange for Women with Disabilities from Uzbekistan 2001
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (May 2001): In January 2001, MIUSA sent a four-person team to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to help facilitate the first national conference of women with disabilities from Uzbekistan. In May 2001, 15 of these women traveled to Eugene, Oregon to take part in an intensive 18-day leadership training program. The delegation visited schools for Deaf and blind children, and public schools where disabled students are fully integrated into mainstream classrooms. Program participants also met with lawmakers at the state capitol, took part in workshops on using the media, coalition building and grant writing and explored adapted recreation and sports. Participants returned to Uzbekistan more fully equipped with the skills, ideas and know-how they need to affect positive change for women with disabilities in Uzbekistan.
US - Vietnam Disability Professionals Exchange Program 2000
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (October/November 2000): Mobility International USA was honored to host seven delegates with and without disabilities from Hue and Hanoi, Vietnam. All the delegates are professionals working in the disability fields of education, employment, rehabilitation, health and community integration.
During the three-week program, the delegates eagerly met with US professionals involved with programs for people with disabilities in the United States. Opportunities for exchanging ideas took place at: The Portland Commission for the Blind, Independent Living Resources, Inc., vocational rehabilitation programs, an adapted sports program, Oregon Rehabilitation Center, integrated school settings, a sign language interpreter training program and many other sites. The delegates also participated in interactive workshops on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the IDEA. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The delegates spent an evening sharing with the Eugene community their accomplishments in the disability movement in Vietnam. Delegates were also able to enjoy the beauty of Oregon with trips to Mt. Hood and the Oregon coast. Many friendships were formed with community members and homestay families with and without disabilities during the three-week program.
Great strides were made to realize potential collaborators for future exchanges of resources, technical assistance and information. MIUSA thanks the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State for their generous support of this program.
Cross Cultural Perspectives on Disability 2000
Costa Rica
About the Exchange (August 2000): In August of 2000 seventeen Americans - with varying disabilities - from all over the US traveled to Costa Rica to live with homestay families and soak up some Costa Rican culture. It proved to be an experience none of them would forget: teaching ESL at an elementary school, meeting students with disabilities at a university, swimming in the ocean in the midst of a warm Costa Rican rainfall, traditional food, garbled Spanish, garbled English and long-lasting friendships.
Global Options for Women with Disabilities in Leadership and Employment 2000
Eugene, Oregon
About the Exchange (July 2000): MIUSA brought together 25 young women with disabilities from the United States, France, Guatemala, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe for a cross-cultural exchange program. During two weeks of intensive workshops and hands-on activities, delegates identified critical issues and strategies for leadership, examined new trends in international development and explored international development as an arena for employment and partnership. Delegates sharpened proposal-writing skills and developed funding strategies for projects around the world during a two-day retreat on the Oregon coast. Team-building and challenge activities, including an outdoor ropes course, provided invaluable opportunities for experience in leadership and cooperation. Delegates were hosted by homestay families.
MIUSA thanks major sponsors of the Global Options program: the US Department of Labor, The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities and Rotary International. Our deep appreciation also goes to other contributors, including the Global Fund for Women, local Rotary Clubs and generous businesses and individuals in the Eugene and Springfield communities.
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