Effective Advising of Potential Fulbright Applicants with Disabilities
Understanding the accommodations process and appropriate language.
ACCOMMODATIONS
As a potential applicant becomes more informed about a program site, activities and the host country, she or he will be thinking about what kinds of accommodations will make the situation successful.
The Fulbright Program may provide disability-related accommodations for grantees which are arranged once they receive the award. Some funds may be provided beyond the total scholarship award which can offset additional costs.
Photo caption: Kathy Poole, University of Oregon’s Fulbright Program Adviser, explains the Fulbright process to Audrey, a blind student studying for her doctorate in counseling psychology.
Disability accommodations are arranged on a case-by-case basis. Access abroad will not be the same as in the United States, but you can work together with applicants to plan ahead for disability needs. Since the accident and sickness travel insurance provided to Fulbright participants does not cover pre-existing conditions, those with primary insurance that cannot be used abroad need to research other options. The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange’s website has health insurance information, disability accommodation forms as well as other resources. Many people with disabilities require no accommodations.
“As soon as I heard that I had been given the chance to go to China, I contacted the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange. I hoped that they could help me with some research and they did just that.” says Christie Gilson, a Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumna who is blind. “I knew that I would need Orientation and Mobility training as soon as I arrived in Hong Kong. I knew that I would want to make contact with local blindness organizations. I knew that I had to decide whether to take my guide dog to China or not. They helped me locate resources in all of these areas.”
Similar to other Fulbright recipients, participants with disabilities will establish strategies for managing the new environment of the host country. Remember that people with disabilities live in every country. Seeking out local people with disabilities is one of the best ways to learn how to navigate a community.
RESPECTFUL DISABILITY LANGUAGE
There is much discussion within disability communities about how to respectfully discuss different types of disabilities. Since this is a very personal issue, let the language used by the individual with a disability guide you.
Common suggestions include:
- Do not sensationalize a disability by saying "suffers from." Instead, say "a person who has," "a person with," etc.
- Say "uses a wheelchair" rather than "confined to a wheelchair."
- Refer to "people without disabilities" or "non-disabled” instead of "normal."
- Approach conversations with "how," not "if," solutions can be found.
Other suggestions and information can be found at Respectful Disability Language. Using the suggestions above can encourage positive responses and provide encouragement to prospective Fulbright applicants with disabilities.
Michele Scheib is Project Specialist for the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (http://www.miusa.org/ncde/fulbright), which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by Mobility International USA.
This was published in the Institute of International Education's Fulbright Program Adviser, Newsletter, Issue 33, July 2009.
