Deaf or Hard of Hearing

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.

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.

Tracing the Steps of a Deaf Leader Through France

Rebecca Epple is an extensive traveler who grew up hard of hearing and is now profoundly Deaf. Having graduated from Gallaudet University with a master’s in Deaf Education, she now teaches at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. Rebecca explains how she established an educational exchange for her students to France, the birthplace of Laurent Clerc.

Expanding the Meaning of Home

Annie Keenon traveled to Accra, Ghana with 14 fellow University of Oregon Journalism students to fulfill internships with various media outlets and non-profit organizations. Annie, who is hard of hearing, visited several disability rights organizations and uses her blog to share her added knowledge on the state of disability rights within Ghana.

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.

Featured Person: Mallory Watts

Meet Mallory, a Masters student in Deaf Education who spent a summer in Mexico teaching deaf children.

Featured Person: Sarah Leslie

Meet Sarah, who describes how civil unrest in Egypt impacted her studies while in the Middle East. Sarah is hard of hearing and used assistive devices to access classes in Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Featured Person: Perseus McDaniel

Meet Perseus, a community college student from the US who, having studied Italian and Italian sign language in Florence, became inspired to encourage other Deaf students to participate in overseas study.

An Unexpected Lesson About Community

Elizabeth Shuler, an American student who is hard of hearing, devoted time exploring the spectrum of disability alongside peers with and without disabilities during a unique summer course in Ireland.

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.

Featured Person: Loren Ashton

Loren Ashton, who is Deaf, shares how she told her parents about her dream to study abroad in France for a semester.

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.

Blogging Middle East Studies in Egypt

Sarah Leslie, a MIUSA exchange alumna who is hard of hearing, applied to the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) to study Arabic and Islamic culture in Egypt.

No Means 'Try Harder': Blogging from Verona, Italy

Read about Anne Reuss' Italian and LIS language studies "from the other side of the world, through Deaf eyes."

Internships with the U.S. Department of State

Josh Pila, who is hard of hearing, was an intern at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and helped conduct programming for international students with and without disabilities.

On My Own in Scotland

Sarah Beauchamp used ASL interpreting services while abroad in Scotland and in turn, learned British Sign Language.

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

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

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.

Integrating Perspectives in International Development Projects (Benin)

Tina Singleton, who has a hearing impairment, volunteered with people with disabilities in Benin through the Peace Corps.