Stories from People with Disabilities who Came to the USA

YES Student with a Disability Joins Track Team

Benay Gozkaman, a YES student from Turkey who is blind, researched YouTube videos of blind runners before joining her host school's track team.

Blind Turkish Exchange Student Overcomes Challenges

Abidin Karademir, an 18-year-old exchange student from Turkey who is blind, spent his YES high school year in Michigan, USA, with host parents who are also blind. In his reflection, Abidin discusses how his family and technology helped him adjust to American life.

Dear Future Exchange Student

Following an eventful year at a U.S. high school, Dzenana "Jenny" Brkic wrote an open letter to other exchange students with disabilities all over the world that are coming to the U.S. in the following years. Jenny, who is blind, came to Indiana from Bosnia as a YES student.

IFP Fellow Attends Commission on Status of Women

International Fellowships Program Fellow Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie will attend the 56th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Currently studying for her master’s in Policy Analysis and Advocacy at SIT, Sefakor is passionate about disability rights.

Fulbright Scholar from Nepal Breaks 'Fourth Wall'

Nirmala Gyawali shares her experiences and challenges growing up blind in Nepal. Gyawali received a Fulbright Scholarship to earn a second bachelors degree in sociology at Colorado State University.

Musical Energy from Zimbabwe

A Zimbabwean student and musician with a disability shares his views on studying at a college in the U.S. in this video.

Jiayi Zhou - "Who is the Deaf Artist?"

Jiayi Zhou is an artist from Shanghai, China who studies at Gallaudet University in the United States. Her art serves to create a bridge of understanding between the deaf and hearing worlds. View or listen to an audio description of her VSA exhibition.

Gallaudet Student Serves on International Panel at State Department Forum

Jiayi Zhou, a deaf graduate student at Gallaudet and a citizen of China, talked about her experiences pursuing higher education in the United States at the EducationUSA Forum in Washington, D.C.

Growing Up in Macedonia

Through her experience at the Overbrook School for the Blind in the United States, Adrijana Prokopenko learned how blind people live in parts of the world outside her native Macedonia. "Growing up in Macedonia" appeared in Future Reflections Vol 30, No 3.

A Global Language

An San Diego State University student from Burundi is recognized not only as the homecoming king, but as a champion for Deaf students on campus.

My International Study Experience at CSUN

With encouragement from her Deaf role models, Manako Yabe from Japan enrolled in the Deaf Studies program at California State University, Northridge, where she embraced her own Deaf identity and researched deaf American, Jamaican and Japanese students' access to higher education.

It Comes With its Own Territory

Samson Ngutwa is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of California Davis, where he develops skills that will apply to serving the public sector in his home country of Malawi. Samson has an amputated leg and uses a prosthetic.

U.S. Embassy Supports Study Trip on Disability Issues for Members of a Mongolian DPO

A four day program in Washington DC provided an overview of the rights of people with disabilities and the roles of government and civil society organizations in advocating the rights of people with physical disabilities.

Beyond Stereotyping

Yasushi Miyazaki's involvement with student groups on his US campus helped dispel stereotypes about Autism - including those he had believed about himself.

Accessible Advising: Reaching Students with Disabilities

Recording of a recent webinar presented by Olivia Hardin, Information Services Specialist with Mobility International USA's National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, which addresses issues around advising students with disabilities coming to the United States for post secondary studies.

In Search of a Different Career Path: My Education in the United States

An encounter with a Peace Corps volunteer convinced Francis, a young Deaf man from Zambia, that international exchange was a possibility for him too.

Painting with the Colors Given

Joe Chen is a person with a physical disability from China who volunteered at an American summer camp for children with disabilities.

Accessible Campus Close to 'Utopia' for Blind English Learner

When Svetlana Vasilyeva, who is blind, was accepted for a Humphrey mid-career professional fellowship, she first had an opportunity to study English in the United States which gave her time to adjust to the new environment.

U.S. Community Colleges Serve Disabled Students

The College of the Siskiyous, with its center for disabled students, is another excellent example that a student, no matter from what country, will get the best professional and friendly assistance that is needed. Community colleges are an especially good and economical place to start one's college education.

Working Together: Deaf Education and the Fulbright Program (Italy and USA)

Opportunities abound for Americans and Italians desiring to research issues affecting Deaf citizens.

A Summer of Service in the United States

Alice Chen, who uses an orthotic device, flew to the United States from China to join other international students for a summer disability exchange program.

Overcoming Challenges While in the United States

Reina is a Mobility International USA Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability Alumna and the American English Institute scholarship recipient from Latin America.

My True Success Story

Armine Ghazaryan, a student from Armenia, who has a visual impairment, studied at a university in Michigan, USA, as a Global Undergraduate Exchange Program participant.

Reflections from my International Visitor Leadership Program to the U.S.

Well Zhao participated in a whirlwind tour of the United States to learn how American organizations and institutions are including people with disabilities in educational, recreational and leadership opportunities. Mr. Zhao is from China and is an amputee who uses a prosthetic.

From Student to Teacher to Advocate

Sophak Kanika Nguon, who uses crutches and an power wheelchair for mobility, honed her leadership and advocacy skills during MIUSA's 2003 Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) program. Learn how she furthered her commitment to social justice through gaining scholarships for a Master's of Social Work degree in the online article "From Cambodia – to Seattle!"

Welcoming International Visitors to the United States: Perspectives on Disability

Marek Sikora, from Poland, came to the United States as part of the International Visitor Program. Mr. Sikora came to Eugene, Oregon and other cities to learn about the inclusion of people with disabilities in American civic and educational systems.

Relying on Colleague Connections

Mona Al-Sawwaf, a psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a physical disability, studied and did professional development primarily in Virginia, USA as a Humphrey Fellow.

Pursuing Your Dreams to Go to America

Yelena Semyonova fulfilled her goal and dream to go to America through the Youth for Understanding program. She studied at Iowa Lakes Community College.

Living and Studying in the United States

Sophie Cicekli, a wheelchair user from France, was accepted as an exchange student at Georgetown University. Sophie graduated from college in 2003.

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant from Russia

Andrey Tikhonov is a blind English teacher from Russia. He participated in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program in 2008-09 teaching Russian at Michigan State University.

The Fulbright Experience in the U.S.

Smita Worah, from India, was presented with a Fulbright Student Fellowship to study special education at Pennsylvania State University in the United States. As a woman with a physical disability who uses a wheelchair, she learned about U.S. disability laws first-hand.

International Experience to the U.S.: Count Me In!

Gerardo Nigenda, who worked with people who are blind in Mexico, participated in the Young Adult International Leadership Program in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

Future Leaders Exchange Program: A Student Shares Her Experiences in the U.S.

Ludmila Kurochkina, who has low vision, came to the United States from Russia to study English for a year.

Fulfilling Dreams through the Fulbright Program to the United States: The Story of Karla Rivas

Karla Rivas, a native of Guatemala who is blind, studied communications at the University of Chico in California with a Fulbright scholarship.

My Experiences as an International Student at the Arkansas School for the Blind

Originally from India, Anmol Bhatia studied at the Arkansas School for the Blind in the United States, where he learned how to use a cane and Braille to increase opportunities for education access and mobility.

Far from the Philippines but Close to My Heart

Marlon Celso, a student from Philippines, who is of short stature, studied at a high school in Michigan, USA, under the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.

Broadening Professional and Interpersonal Horizons

Abbass Abbass from Israel, a lawyer and organization director, who is blind, learned about disability issues when visiting various U.S. states as an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participant

The Spirit of Volunteerism

Musenyente Elijah, a professional from Uganda, who uses a wheelchair, learned about volunteerism and disability issues when visiting various U.S. states as an International Visitor Leadership Program participant.

Lessons Learned

Vera Aminova, a high school student from Russia who has scoliosis, studied at a high school in Ohio, USA, as a Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program participant.

Watching History Unfold: My Fulbright Experience in Washington, DC

Audrey Kobayashi, a geography professor from Canada and a wheelchair user, conducted research in Washington, DC, USA, as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar.

Reinforcing a Love of Teaching

Dixie Olguín, a language teacher from Chile, who has a physical disability, taught at the precollegiate level in New Jersey, USA, as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher.

Experiencing the American Deaf Culture

Argiroula Zangana from Greece, who is a Deaf student, studied at a college in New York, USA as a Fulbright Student.

Advising Students with Disabilities: A Perspective From Pakistan

Lubna Shah Anwar, an EducationUSA Advisor at the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, advised two students with visual and physical disabilities who attended colleges in the Midwest, USA

New Technologies to Meet New Challenges

Sile O’Modhrain spent a year at Stanford University as a Fulbright student, and continued on for several more years researching and developing accessible technology.

Open Mind – Open Heart:A Fulbright Fellow with a disability from Lebanon shares his experience studying in the United States

Published in Al Jamiat Magazine, 2007/2008 Edition

Towards Establishing an Audio and Braille Library in Mongolia

Uyanga Erdenebold, who is from Mongolia, was selected to receive a Fulbright fellowship and completed a Library Science program at Louisiana State University.

Australian who is Blind Attends a U.S. University

Kristy Hyland is from Melbourne, Australia, and attends the University of Florida with her service dog.

Crashing barriers: Language Study in the U.S.

MIUSA invited Teuta Halilaj to visit Eugene, Oregon, USA from her native Albania to participate in the 2006 WILD program. She was one of two delegates who was rewarded with a scholarship to study English at the University of Oregon.