Advising Students with Disabilities: A Perspective From Pakistan

Two promising Pakistani students with disabilities studied in the United States, but with very different outcomes. What made the difference in their levels of success, and what can we learn from their experiences?

In a country where academic opportunities for everyone are scarce, students with disabilities facing societal barriers have an especially difficult time getting ahead.  So, it was unusual when two disabled students approached the EducationUSA office in Lahore, Pakistan, seeking access to higher education in the United States.
 
Jamil (not his real name), who is visually impaired, comes from a middle-income family in Pakistan. With straight A grades in secondary school, merit was not an issue; however, finances were. Responses from colleges in the United States, including a highly selective university in New England, were very positive but financial aid was the determining factor. Jamil decided to go to the college that offered partial scholarship funding. Today he is completing his second year at a large Midwestern university. 

Ahmed (not his real name) was born with two challenges in society. One of these was economic: his family did not have a lot of money. The second was physical: Ahmed was born with a congenital arm disability. The odds were against him, yet he was spurred on by encouragement from his mother and his own will to overcome difficulties, succeeding in whatever goal he sought. Ahmed studied on a merit scholarship at an established and respected mission school in Pakistan. He earned high marks and became head boy of his school.

A school advisor impressed with his attitude and merits referred him to the EducationUSA office. Upon the advice of the EducationUSA advisor, Ahmed applied to a U.S. university, and the EducationUSA advisor recommended him for financial aid. He was awarded a scholarship of $16,000 by a U.S. university in the Midwest.

Ahmed completed his first year of study with a GPA of 3.8. However, with the building pressure of finances as well as separation from his family, he became depressed. His faculty advisors tried to assist him without success and the university decided his depression was best treated at home in Pakistan. Once home, he began coaching underprivileged students and applied to a prestigious new engineering college in Pakistan. 

Both Jamil and Ahmed’s experiences carry lessons for my EducationUSA colleagues and I. Moved by Ahmed’s hard work and dedication, we failed to consider all aspects of his situation. He had incredible determination, boosted by his mother’s efforts and his own training. In retrospect, this familial support also resulted in him having considerable responsibility to his family as the sole hope for his younger brother and three younger sisters.  

Jamil’s successes can be attributed in part to the support and encouragement he received growing up. He had access to a prestigious high school in Pakistan and his teachers did everything possible to make his education accessible.
 
In a country where not enough is being done for disabled students, advisors must take into account circumstances beyond just guiding these students through the application and admissions processes. Here is what our experience suggests when advising these students, with their desire to study abroad:

• Thoroughly examine the student’s background. Meet with parents to discuss the student’s upbringing, personality traits and family circumstances.
  
• Encourage the individual to connect with alumni with disabilities or with disabled leaders in the local community to discuss what it will be like to live abroad as a person with a disability and how the experience will be beneficial on return home.
  
• Do research to find a school that is the right fit.  Ahmed went to an expensive college; it had many Muslim students but none from Pakistan. As a result, Ahmed felt more homesick than he would have on a campus that had students with whom he shared a language and cultural familiarity.
  
• Provide the student with in-depth pre-departure orientation, especially if the student has had little exposure to U.S. culture. The pros and cons of separation must be shared with both students and parents.

Advising students with disabilities has to be done with greater consciousness that they are traveling away from their support systems and familiar ways of navigating physical and societal values related to their disability. Although there is an inclination on the part of the advisor to steer the student towards prestigious college options hoping this will give them an edge in a competitive market, it’s important to keep the student in mind and select options which are a natural fit. With effective advising, it is possible to reach the many qualified and deserving students with disabilities who have much to offer the United States and even more to offer their country when they return home.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs supports a network of EducationUSA Advising Centers in more than 160 countries worldwide to provide information for prospective international students regarding educational opportunities in the United States.

Visit our tipsheet on Advising People with Disabilities Coming to the USA.