Featured Person: Raufhon Salokhodjaev

Name: Raufhon Salokhodjaev

Age: Graduate

Disability: Mild cerebral palsy

Home Country: Uzbekistan

Program Country: United States

Program Length: One year of high school exchange and two years of graduate-level exchange.

Program Type: Study abroad, Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program; and Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program

About Me: I was born in the former Soviet Union in Central Asia, but my dream was always to see the world. I have a disability, but you don't have to be able-bodied to travel the world. My parents always told me that every dream is achievable no matter how high you set your goals or how hard the journey might seem at the beginning. You just need to work hard and be a person of morals and then life will give you your chance.

If you received any scholarships, stipends, or other funding for your exchange, who provided them?

All expenses during my high school year were covered by the US Department of State via the Future Leaders Exchange program. Now I am graduate student at the State University of New York in Binghamton, and all of my expenses are covered by the U.S. Department of State and administered through the IREX program.

What were your concerns as you prepared to travel? What kinds of resources did you use to address these concerns?

Every person who is different from others experiences fear about being excluded from society. In order to overcome this fear, I had to become part of a completely new environment where I would have to depend only on myself. Luckily, when I became an exchange student in the USA, I obtained that valuable experience.

For me, the USA was a completely unknown country and I had many questions on how I would manage there. Back home, I knew how to avoid most difficulties but now I had to explore a completely new environment. I eventually learned that America is a very friendly nation, where people are willing to help one another.

What was your experience living in the host country? Please share your impressions of housing, transportation, activities, cultural attitudes towards disability, and your strategies for navigating abroad.

During my high school academic year I lived with an American host family in Austin, Texas. At first I thought it would be hard for me as a person from another part of the world to be part of an American family, but the moment I met my host parents, I realized that the year would be one of the most exciting moments of my life and it was. They took me on many trips across states, and I was able to see American culture in all its vivid colors.

I took the most out of my high school year. I attended many clubs and went on many road trips, and not once did I feel left out. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back, that year improved me and made me a real leader. I became a stronger, more confident man.

If you used assistive devices or service animals during your exchange program, were they helpful to you in your new environment?

I never faced problems when accessing the facilities in the USA. Many American schools have buses for students with special needs, and every school has personnel to assist students with disabilities to ease their studying process. Personally, I used an elevator at my high school to get to my classes.

What were the benefits of the experience?

I still can’t calculate all the benefits of my academic year of the USA, but I clearly see how I matured a lot that year. I came when I was 16, the age at which the mentality and character of a man is formed. By exploring new culture through school subjects, meeting people and community service, I became a person who is open to changes, who is ready for improvement and who uses his past experience to form the best results in the future.

During this year, I learned the importance of social and community service for shaping a strong nation. I once thought that if I had disability, I should just stay home and do my studies, but when I came home I had just one thing on my mind: That I am part of my society and I can contribute my best for the prosperity of my country though studies and dedication to social work. This revelation prompted me to volunteer at the Rehabilitation Center for Youth and Adults with Disabilities “Millennium” in my hometown. During five years I did my best to share all my knowledge and experience with others. 

What can you share about your current experience in your host country?

The first time I came to the United States as a teenager, I was just living my life and mostly exploring a culture that was new to me. Now I am here again, but this time, I came here with a specific purpose. I am a graduate student at Binghamton University.

I am very grateful to the Economics Department of Binghamton University and to my Muskie Program Managers for placing me there. I have a unique chance to become a professional in my area and use all the knowledge I will gain here back in my home country. I know that the goal of my life is to improve social and economic life of persons with disabilities. Moreover, it is important to study how other developed countries have dealt with those issues. United States is a leader in the world economy, therefore this experience is the most important in understanding the role of people with disabilities in economy and in society. All those issues made me choose the economics as my major.

Secondly I am showing a keen interest in exploring how disability related issues are solved on campus. In my country, our government is doing its best to improve the lives of people with disabilities, since education is one of the most important parts of our life. I want to study all the measures implemented on campus for students with special needs to make the academic setting more accessible. I have already observed so much that, upon my return home, I will use this knowledge and data towards a project of making our college campuses more accessible.

How has your international experience informed your future plans?

In brief, I want to study all the legislation related to people with disabilities. My current goal is to be an intern with Mobility International USA (MIUSA) and to dedicate myself to learning new things which I can use later.

Secondly, I want to see how major companies make their facilities accessible for their employees with special needs. At the Center for Youth and Adults with Disabilities “Millennium,” I am responsible for establishing networks with other organizations. I hope that I will establish good connections with Binghamton University's Services for Students with Disabilities, MIUSA and many others to exchange experiences that our center can use for its future projects.

Finally I would like to say that I would like to dedicate my life to disability-related issues. My country is young, and I think people like me who have appropriate education and experience and who are confident in their goals are ready to contribute their best for the development of their country and can really make a change. These two years, while I study at the State University of New York, may determine the course of my whole life!

During you exchange program how did you develop professionally?

This summer I had unique opportunity to work in one of the world's best research centers of the School of Industrial Labor Relations at Cornell University. I was research assistant in Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) where I focused on the impact of workers compensation on the duration of temporary disability. This topic is of a great importance for me as my country is currently implementing economic reforms toward improving the labor market legislation and regulations within the framework of transition toward a free market economy. I was also working with the biggest U.S. population surveys, which helped me to better understand the way they are conducted and the impact of those survey for future research in policy. I hope upon my return to be the front man, who starts implementing such population surveys in Uzbekistan.

After returning I plan first of all to work in the Rehabilitation Center for Youth & Adults with disabilities "Millennium". I think existence of such social centers where persons with disabilities can attend and discuss their goals, share experiences and form their opinions are crucially important for the social development of society.

Having a Master's degree in one of the best public schools in the USA will open for me doors of opportunity to contribute to the improvement of the social and economic life of disabled people. This degree will let me take part in legislative discussions. We plan to start a campaign aimed to contribute to the existing legislation regarding working conditions and benefits of the disabled people.

I see my lifetime goal is a policy maker and researcher fighting the unemployment level among persons with disabilities. I might be a dreamer but I will only accomplish my dream when every single persons who possesses a disability will be integrated and equally valued part of our society. I am very proud of all the reforms our government is carrying out and I think I will also contribute my best and ideas of western economic thought and research for the development. This Master's degree from State University of New York will provide me a solid foundation to achieve my goals and be proud citizen of Uzbekistan.

The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program promotes mutual understanding between the U.S. and countries of Eurasia by providing opportunities for high school students (ages 15-17) to spend a year attending an American high school in the United States. Read more here.

Learn more about the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program, which brings emerging leaders in key professional fields from Eurasia to the United States for one to two years of graduate study at institutions across the United States.

Do you have an exchange or disability-related question for Rauf? Email clearinghouse@miusa.org to get in touch.

Visit our "Featured People" page to meet other international exchange alumni.