Featured Person: Jason
Meet Jason Jones and read about his international experiences as a disability leader and a student who has traveled to England and Japan.
Age: Undergraduate
Disability: Blind
Assistive devices: white cane
Exchange Organizations: Mobility International USA & the Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University
Program Countries: Japan & England
Program length: Jason's experience with MIUSA was just over two weeks. His England study abroad program was one semester.
Program types: Leadership and study abroad
"I travel because learning and having the chance to live in another culture is my passion. From my experience, the biggest challenge for students with disabilities is venturing outside of comfort zones."
"The beauty of traveling is that you realize you have skills of which you were not aware, you can learn new skills when needed, and you become a stronger person."
Jason says his experiences studying in England with support from the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange and earlier on a short-term leadership program to Japan with Mobility International USA has shown him that there are no limits. "I travel to learn other people’s stories and discover all the options life offers, not just those available at home."
- Take a virtual tour of Lancaster University where Jason studied
"There are some who believe that having a disability limits participation in life—not me. Just because I am blind doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy life to the fullest, including studying in another country. For example, take my adventure at Lancaster University in northwestern England, approximately 300 miles from London. I studied at Lancaster for six months as a college student during my junior year. The size of the campus was an enjoyable challenge. As a person with a disability, I learned long ago to be open-minded and to adapt quickly. After I arrived, the Office of Student Support arranged an orientation & mobility instructor to help me learn my way around campus. With training, I was able to get around independently in just a few days.
The instructor showed me a few landmarks that, along with my white cane, I could use to get to any destination I wanted. If I became confused or lost, I just asked people where things were. Once you settle into the local culture the rest falls into place."
Visit our "Featured People" page to meet other international exchange alum.
