Asia and Oceania

Blind in Melbourne

Kevin Cosgrove, a DePaul University student who has a vision impairment, does not usually have difficulty finding his way around on campus. Then again, Kevin is not usually in Melbourne, Australia for five months! Find out which resources he tapped in order to achieve a more independent travel and overseas study experience.

Capturing the Everyday Beauty of New Zealand

Mathew Cowlin is a student at Kenyon College in Ohio who traveled across the world to study in Christchurch, New Zealand for six months. Mathew, who has cerebral palsy, found the site seamlessly accessible.

No Ordinary Vacation

Kasenya, a 12-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, took a 4-month trip with her family in Southeast Asia. No ordinary vacation, the family volunteered at local orphanages, schools, and organizations in order to experience aspects of travel not typically accessible to tourists.

From Sensei to Student: A Blind Athlete Blogs from Japan

English teacher-turned-Judo pupil Nicholas Hoekstra reports on his training at a martial institution in Japan, where he spars with athletes from around the world.

Boren Scholar Will Study Language, Disability in China

Chinese-American student Ming Canaday, who previously studied in China through CIEE, will continue language studies at a Chinese University as a Boren Scholar. Read an article about her goals for the trip and her career improving the lives of people with disabilities on the University of Oregon website.

Effecting Change Through Film

Through documentary film, Mitch St. Pierre aims to raise public awareness of conflicts around the world. The Canada native, who has osteogenesis imperfecta and uses a wheelchair, has traveled to over forty countries.

Featured Person: Fredericka Banks

Meet Fredericka, an active volunteer whose "travel bug" led her to teach in an orphanage in Thailand. Fredericka has a vision impairment and uses a cane.

Featured Person: Tony Ive

Meet Tony, who indulged his passion for history and politics during a spring break in South Korea. Tony, who has ADHD and learning disabilities, explained how those ten days in Seoul altered his academic path.

Youth from the US and Syria Join Forces to Unveil a Superhero with a Disability

At the first international youth ability summit in Damascus in August 2010, attendees with disabilities collaborated to create a superhero who reflects what they have always wanted to see in a comic-book. Read the full article by Claire McCormack for Time.

Reflections on an International Career Teaching English

Roy Burkholder, a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language, has taken 19 trips to Asia in the course of his career. He has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for many years and shares his experiences and strategies for enjoying the journey abroad.

Keeping House in Nepal: The Right to Equal Discrimination

As a disabled person, Megan Smith loved being expected to do the same work as the Nepalese women in her village. As a feminist, she wished that didn’t mean laundry. Reprinted with permission from New Mobility, February 2011.

Featured Person: Amanda Parkman

Meet Amanda, a Gilman scholar with a physical disability whose studies in Australia reaffirmed her sense of adventure and independence.

Adding India to the Geography of Life Experiences

Gilman scholarship recipient, Christena Weatherspoon, who has a learning and social anxiety disability, represented multiple kinds of American diversity while studying in India.

International Summer Abroad Trip Explores Accessibility

Watch the video made by a group of UT Chattanooga students with mixed abilities who explored accessibility in Oceania.

Featured Person: Ming Canaday

Ming Canaday, a Chinese-American university student, observed very few people with apparent disabilities besides herself while studying in China. "This is not because China does not have disabled people," she writes. "Rather, it is a sign of how inaccessible China is for them." Read more about Ming's experiences in Shanghai, scaling the Great Wall, and working with others to find accessible solutions.

Fighting the Good Fight

As a graduate of the University of Michigan, Nicholas Hoekstra taught English for two years in Japan through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program. Nick, who is blind, describes how he addressed his own pre-travel concerns, the tactics he used to assert his independence while abroad, and the moves required to spar with a Judo sensei.

Featured Person: Molly Bloom

Meet Molly, who has a physical disability, and find out why her year of study in New Zealand and Sweden was "the best year of her life."

Opening My Eyes To the World: Volunteer Teaching (Japan)

Leticia Arellano learned about her Japanese volunteer opportunity through her alma mater, Gallaudet University, and also from the World Federation of the Deaf.

Creating Change at Home and Abroad (Russia, Malaysia)

Heather Harker participated in a Russian exchange program through MIUSA and later fulfilled a fellowship in Malaysia while working with other people from the Deaf community.

No Worries: Studying Abroad in Perth, Western Australia

Angel Miles discovered that the most difficult and the most rewarding part of studying in Australia was trusting herself and trusting others.