Fulbright Programs
Promoting and providing equal access for people with disabilities to U.S. Department of State's Fulbright scholarships to study, teach, conduct research or participate in other professional, cultural and educational activities internationally.
For example, Hay Kyung Chang (Anne) Lanteigne (pictured here), a law professor from Alabama, USA, who uses crutches and a wheelchair, taught a two-week course in contract law at the Faculté of Political and Juridical Sciences at the University of 7-November in Tunisia (read her story below).
The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) encourages the participation of people with disabilities in Fulbright programs to reflect diversity and provide overseas opportunities to qualified people regardless of disability. As needed, disability-related accommodations such as adaptive computers, personal assistants or sign language interpreters have been provided to Fulbright award recipients. Read the ECA Diversity statement.
People with disabilities can learn more about the Fulbright programs at the links below and by reading stories from Fulbright alumni with disabilities.
Fulbright Links, Articles and News Items
- A World Awaits You - U.S. Department of State Exchanges Special Edition
- A Journal of Success in International Exchange for People with Disabilities, Copyright Mobility International USA, October 2009
- Featured Person: David Albala
- Before researching film production in the United States on a Fulbright Foreign Student Program, David started by researching wheelchair accessibility in his host environment.
- Fulbright Scholar Teaches the Power of Language
- As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Guam, Yevgeniy Tetyukhin of Kazakhstan has been able to research disability as an aspect of diversity within international communities.
- Information on the Fulbright Programs
- The official U.S. Department of State Fulbright website.
- The Fulbright Experience in Pictures
- A glimpse into the Fulbright experience for several students and scholars with disabilities.
- What are the Eligibility Requirements for a Fulbright Program?
- Fulbright grant eligibility requirements for programs are listed below.
- Which Fulbright Grant Is Right For Me?
- Fulbright grant categories and programs are listed below.
Fulbright Success Stories
People with disabilities are among the Fulbright alumni who received scholarships to study, teach, conduct research or participate in other professional, cultural and educational activities internationally.
- An Enduring Connection: A Fulbright Experience in Japan
- Kenny Fries, a creative writing professor at Goddard College in Vermont, USA, who has a physical disability, conducted research in Japan as a Fulbright Scholar.
- Don’t Let It Pass You By
- Michele Shoresman, an assistant dean at a university law school in Missouri, USA, who has multiple sclerosis, participated in a Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) Seminar in Germany.
- 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.
- Exploring the Public and Social Sectors in Singapore
- Ray Jefferson, from Hawaii, USA, who has a physical disability, studied public sector leadership and social entrepreneurship in Singapore as a Fulbright Student. He is Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training.
- Expressing Herself Through Stories
- Adriana Pulido, a Colombian woman who is blind, is studying for her Master's Degree in Mass Communications at the University of Florida through a Fulbright student grant.
- 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.
- Fulbright Fellow Achieves Professional Goal in Italy
- Debra Cole, a woman who is Deaf, shared her passion for linguistics with students in Italy on a Fulbright fellowship. Read more in the New York Times article.
- 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.
- 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.
- Learning with and from Deaf Students in Siena, Italy
- American Joseph Hill, a Deaf Ph.D candidate of Linguistics at Gallaudet University in Washington DC, studied Italian Sign Language and Italian alongside Deaf students on a summer program in Siena, Italy. He later returned to conduct independent research using a Fulbright grant. Learn about his research interests on the Siena School website, and how he helped other Americans get the most out of their Italian language experience.
- Lessons in Adventure: Teaching Law in Tunisia
- Hay Kyung Chang (Anne) Lanteigne, a law professor from Alabama, USA, who uses crutches and a wheelchair, taught at a university in Tunisia as a Fulbright Specialist grantee.
- Musician's Talents Echo from Passion
- Carrie Hooper, a Fulbright alumna who is blind, lives for the arts, especially music and language. Hooper is a soprano who teaches voice and piano and has performed throughout Europe.
- My Fulbright Year in Finland: Then and Now
- Stephen Kuusisto, who is legally blind, studied Finnish poetry in Helsinki as a Fulbright scholar over 25 years ago, then later returned to the city to present his memoir.
- 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
- Promoting Mutual Understanding with an Eye on Disability: A Snapshot of a Fulbright Experience in Canada
- Andrew Levinson shares his Canadian experiences in the Fulbright U.S. Student Grantee Newsletter Issue 30, April 2011. He is a power wheelchair user and as a Fulbright Student grantee enrolled in a master's degree program in Critical Disability Studies at York University in Toronto.
- 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.
- Researching Advanced Reactors: A Fulbright Experience in Switzerland
- Via YouTube, Kristina Yancey discusses her Fulbright research in nuclear reactor technology, navigating Switzerland using a power wheelchair, and learning German with international students.
- 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.
- This is Much Bigger Than I Am: Taking a Global View on Disability
- African studies student Rob Hurtekant, an American wheelchair user with Spina Bifida, launched a volunteer program at a special education school while studying a foreign language through the Fulbright-Hays program at the University of Cape Town.
