MIUSA Program Stories
The following are stories by youth and adults with disabilities who participated in Mobility International USA Exchange Programs.
- Challenging Myself to Change My Country (U.S./Japan Exchange)
- Meet a young woman from a rural town in Japan who came to Eugene as a participant of the MIUSA US/Japan exchange.
- Communicating: It's a Matter of Attitude (Russia, Mexico)
- Jerry McGill went to Russia twice with Mobility International USA, once as a participant, and once as a co-leader. Later, Jerry embarked on an exchange trip to Mexico, where he networked with people with disabilities.
- Costa Rica Trip Proves Unforgettable
- Sarah Snyder participated as a delegate on the Mobility International USA US/Costa Rica exchange funded by DeWitt-Wallace Youth Travel Enrichment Fund.
- Crashing barriers: Language Study in the U.S.
- MIUSA invited Teuta Halilaj to visit Eugene, Oregon, USA from her native Albania to participate in the 2006 WILD program. She was one of two delegates who was rewarded with a scholarship to study English at the University of Oregon.
- 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.
- Discovering More than the Arts in England
- Reveca Torres, an American who lives in Chicago and comes from a Mexican background, comments on accessibility in England as a MIUSA exchange delegate.
- Dreams Come True in Italy and Costa Rica
- Sarah Franz studied abroad in Florence, Italy on a University of Michigan Summer Abroad Program and participated in MIUSA's summer exchange in Costa Rica. Sarah has chronic health-related conditions and is Deaf. She uses English, ASL, and an FM system for communication access.
- Embracing Surprises Abroad
- Jenn Scott describes volunteering in a Japanese bird park and offers some practical tips for other wheelchair users who travel. Jenn is one of eleven youth with disabilities who traveled to Japan on MIUSA's Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Disability Rights Leadership Exchange Program.
- Finding My Rhythm in Costa Rica
- Costa Rica became the dance floor that allowed Anna Hewitt, a MIUSA disability exchange participant who has cerebral palsy, to free herself of her inhibitions.
- Finding Wonder and Rhythm in the Culture of Bahrain
- Hillary Page, a high school student from Washington, USA, with dysgraphia and attention deficit disorder, participated in a Youth Leadership Program in Bahrain.
- Friendships in Costa Rica
- Debbie Buhler is a Deaf woman who learned about disability rights and culture in Costa Rica on a MIUSA Exchange Program.
- Going Global in Middle School: Experiences in Bahrain, China, and Mexico
- Hannah is a young leader with a vision disability who already has three international experiences including China, Mexico and Bahrain.
- Growing Up with a Disability: Costa Rica Cross Cultural/Cross Disability Leadership Exchange
- Read about the adventures of David Gayes and the other delegates who spent several weeks this summer learning what it means to have a disability in Costa Rica.
- Impressions of Japan from a Disability Perspective
- Ellen Rubin traveled to Japan as a participant on the Mobility International USA US/Japan Disability Professional Exchange Program.
- International Exchange to Mexico: My Road to Self Empowerment
- Jessica Aaron, now an experienced international traveler, remembers being overwhelmed by the sights of Mexico the first time she traveled abroad.
- Intertwining Experiences in Japan
- Follow Janie Mejias through Tokyo, where she gained knowledge about Japanese culture and disability over the course of a MIUSA exchange program. Janie has Cerebral Palsy and uses a power wheelchair for mobility.
- I’ve Been to Russia — I Can Go Anywhere
- A MIUSA leadership exchange program in Russia introduced Silvia Gutierrez, a wheelchair user, to what she once thought was "the end of the earth."
- Living Independently and Interdependently in Europe
- Jen Fitz-Roy, who grew up with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, challenged herself to travel in Europe with a greater degree of independence each time. Find out how she overcame her hesitations, where she studied bioethics, and how she navigated inaccessible places abroad.
- Multi-Cultural Exchange to Costa Rica
- Part of what made Andrea Siow's cross-cultural experience so memorable was the hospitality and energy of her host family.
- My Experience in Costa Rica
- Erick López was a participant on the Mobility International USA US/Costa Rica Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Disability Exchange Program.

