Arts, Sports and Other Cultural Exchanges

Marshall Scholarship Music Idol

Before he was an American Idol finalist, Scott MacIntyre earned a Marshall Scholarship to study music performance and songwriting in London. Scott, who is blind, received mobility and orientation training to ease his transition to the city.

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.

I See London, I See France

Rylie Robinson is a recent graduate of the Indiana School for the Blind. In this Future Reflections article (Vol 30, No 2), Rylie describes her first experience of self-advocacy as she attempted to join a student tour of Europe.

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.

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.

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.

Featured Person: Sarah Funes

Meet Sarah, one of several young Americans and Syrians who collaborated on an effort to create the first disabled Muslim super hero.

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.

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.

Engaging Youth with Disabilities from Africa and the Middle East in Sport and Leadership Programs

Ben Johnson, a professor and dean at Kennesaw State University, Georgia, USA, traveled to multiple countries to conduct projects supported under the International Sports Programming Initiative.

Planting Seeds of Change in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras

Traveling through Central America on an exchange to promote peace, Jean Parker, who is blind, says she found solidarity among disabled people and non-disabled people alike.

Dreaming, Doing, and Blogging Outreach in Ghana

Read the day to day activities of a U.S. Paralympian who traveled to Ghana to conduct wheelchair track clinics and to bring attention to disability policy and education.

Living the Question – My Study Abroad Experience at Lancaster University, England

Elizabeth Castellano, who is visually impaired, studied fine arts in England.

Traveling Between Worlds

Franz Knupfer is a Fulbright student alumni ambassador who works with and blogs about Nepal's vibrant Deaf community. Franz is Deaf and uses a hearing aid and cochlear implant to communicate, as well as sign language.

Reflections from my International Visitor Leadership Program to the U.S.

Well Zhao participated in a whirlwind tour of the United States to learn how American organizations and institutions are including people with disabilities in educational, recreational and leadership opportunities. Mr. Zhao is from China and is an amputee who uses a prosthetic.

Stonehenge and More: Art Studies in England

Rebecca Murray has a physical disability and visited the art galleries and museums of London as part of an educational tour.

France and England: Gaining World Experience through University Study Abroad

Vanessa Jones, a wheelchair user, spent her sophomore year in Grenoble, France and later in London to study independently.

After the Glory

Wheelchair athletes go beyond their athletic careers and accomplishments and become worldwide ambassadors who work to change lives.

Music Around the World

John Winn, a musician from Virginia, USA, who is of short stature, shared music and culture in Cambodia, Mexico, Russia and South Korea through the Jazz Ambassadors Program, now known as Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad.

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.