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.

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.

Hong Kong Fulbright Experience

Christie Gilson, who is blind, was a doctorate student that traveled to Hong Kong on 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.