Personal Stories

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.

Chance of A Lifetime in Levoca

Lorie Singleton, an American teacher with a vision disability, traveled to Slovakia to teach English as a second language as a Peace Corps volunteer.

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.

Fighting the Good Fight

As a graduate of the University of Michigan, Nicholas Hoekstra taught English for two years in Japan through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program. Nick, who is blind, describes how he addressed his own pre-travel concerns, the tactics he used to assert his independence while abroad, and the moves required to spar with a Judo sensei.

Finding my Strength in the Labyrinth of the Albayzin (Spain)

Kristin Hoobler Morgan, who has a learning disability, studied Spanish in Granada, Spain. Kristin later received a Master's degree from the School for International Training.

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant from Russia

Andrey Tikhonov is a blind English teacher from Russia. He participated in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program in 2008-09 teaching Russian at Michigan State University.

Forming New Opinions: My German Language Study in Berlin

Leslie Weilbacher, an American of German descent, studied German in an international language school in Berlin, while accompanied by her guide dog, Cammy.

Galileo Galilei: Learning Spanish in Valencia

Joshua Merryman, who uses a manual wheelchair for mobility, participated in an intensive Spanish language program in Valencia, which proved to be a surprisingly wheelchair-accessible city.

Immersion and Conversation in Costa Rica

Learn how Adriana, a student who is blind and uses a service dog, integrated herself into the rural and urban communities of Costa Rica while studying Spanish. Her vivid description of the textures and sounds experienced in the middle of a tropical rainforest are not to be missed!

L'Exchange with France

Zeke Nierenberg built a new "moyen d’être" while adapting to French life. Zeke, who has neurological disabilities that affect learning, developed a fearless new identity and pushed himself to tackle new things.

Making a Difference in Kenya

Mandy Frederickson worked at a Deaf school in Kenya training teachers to provide accessible education to Deaf students.

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."

Overcoming Challenges While in the United States

Reina is a Mobility International USA Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability Alumna and the American English Institute scholarship recipient from Latin America.

Scaling New Peaks in Chile

In anticipation of studying Spanish for up to a year at the Pontífica Universidad Católica (PUC) in Chile, Justin Harford, a history major at UC Berkeley, started a blog to keep contacts in the United States informed while he ventured through Chile. Justin, who is blind in one of his eyes and has low vision in the other, provides his perspective on his host country's, and his program's, accessibility.

Speaking Up: Critical Language Study in Russia

Joseph Ford, a graduate student from Illinois, USA, who has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user, studied Russian at a university in Russia under the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program.

Teaching English (and More) in Morocco

Sarah Presley, a visually impaired woman who uses a variety of assistive devices, is a Peace Corps alumna who taught English to blind students in Morocco.

This is Much Bigger Than I Am: Taking a Global View on Disability

African studies student Rob Hurtekant, an American wheelchair user with Spina Bifida, launched a volunteer program at a special education school while studying a foreign language through the Fulbright-Hays program at the University of Cape Town.

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.

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

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