Recruiting People with Disabilities for Exchanges to the U.S.

7 Step Checklist for Inclusive Outreach

1. Add Welcoming Language to Promotional Materials
2. Make Program and Application Materials Available in Alternative Formats
3. Partner with Leaders in the Disability Community
4. Include Schools and Community Organizations that Involve Youth with Disabilities in Outreach Efforts
5. Factor in Family and Peer Considerations
6. Target Students with Disabilities for English Language Programs
7. Invest in Staff and Volunteer Training

Return  to Inclusive Recruitment & Outreach

1) Add Welcoming Language to Promotional Materials

One of the most effective ways to increase outreach efforts to people with disabilities is to include welcoming and inclusive language in application and program materials, and in public presentations. Examples include:

• “Students with disabilities are encouraged to apply.”
• “People with disabilities are valued members of our organization.”
• “We provide reasonable accommodations as needed to people with disabilities.”
• “Sign language interpreters available upon request.”
• “Our facilities are wheelchair-accessible.”
• “Program materials are available in alternative formats (Braille, cassette tape, computer disk, large print, etc.) upon request.”

Additionally, recruitment materials such as brochures and posters should include images of people with disabilities, and, if possible, stories or quotes by participants with disabilities who have participated successfully. Also include information about disability services available in the U.S. school, university or location of the program.

Even if youth or adults with disabilities have not participated in a particular program from your country, consider including images of participants with disabilities from neighboring and other countries in your promotional materials. A picture and/or quote from an exchange participant who uses a wheelchair or a white cane sends a powerful message to potential applicants, parents, school administrators, leaders in the disability community, and others, that students with disabilities are welcome to participate and have successful experiences abroad. 

Examples of Good Practice

1. The Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program application distributed by AFS partner organizations to schools and community organizations includes the following language: “YES students reflect a wide range of socioeconomic, cultural and religious affiliations within their countries, including people with disabilities.”
2. Andrey Tikhonov, a blind English teacher from Russia, remembers “I visited the [Fulbright] website and decided that the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program would be most beneficial to my future career as an English and German teacher…Most importantly, the program description stated that U.S. Department of State exchange programs do not discriminate based on disability." He applied, was selected by FLTA program and taught Russian at Michigan State University.
3. American Councils for International Education (ACIE) developed promotional materials specifically to target high school students with disabilities in Eurasia for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. According to ACIE Program Manager, Valerie Frank, “In addition to a variety of 'testimonials' brochures we publish featuring comments from FLEX alumni with disabilities, we drafted a brochure aimed at applicants with disabilities which is modeled after our general program brochure. It includes facts and basic information such as age/grade requirements and a few very typical questions and answers, as well as office contact information. It also features quotes from alumni [with disabilities]. Our sense is that students and their natural parents do like to read what alumni have said. It gives credibility that bolsters the things our staff can say about the program.”

2) Make Program and Application Materials Available in Alternative Formats

A key to increasing outreach efforts to youth and adults who are blind, low vision, or have learning disabilities is to make print materials available in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, audio cassette, MP3 file, and computer disk.

To get started, consider these questions:

• What materials would you be able to provide to a blind or low vision student interested in applying to study abroad?
• Do you have any information available in Braille? Large print?
• Do you know how to access screen-magnification features on the computers available to the public?
• Is someone available to read print material out loud to a blind individual or someone with a learning disability?
• If someone requests program or application materials in Braille, where could you go for help?

All offices advising students interested in study in the United States should have at least basic information available in formats accessible to people who are blind or low vision. Depending on the type and length of materials, alternative formats can be made available in a variety of ways. Local community organizations, government agencies, educational institutions and libraries for the blind and visually impaired community can also provide information on how to make print materials available in the alternative formats commonly used by youth and adults with vision disabilities in a particular country. For an introduction to alternative formats, see the online tipsheet, Providing Information in Alternative Formats.

Examples of Good Practice

1. When American Councils for International Education (ACIE) established an EducationUSA advising center in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they recognized the importance of making library materials accessible to people with disabilities and sought advice from the Director of the Library for the Blind and Partially Sighted and the Principal of the Center for Blind and Partially Sighted Persons, both in Sarajevo. They also contacted the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange for guidance on how to make information and materials available in alternative formats.
2. The EducationUSA advising center in Zimbabwe also took a proactive approach to making print materials accessible to people with disabilities. The Educational Advisor applied for and received an opportunity grant from the U.S. Department of State to purchase screen-reading software for the center’s public computers. The result has been a measurable increase in the number of people who are blind who use the center’s computers to access information about study abroad and fellowship opportunities in the United States and applications for admission to U.S. colleges and universities.

3) Partner with Leaders in the Disability Community

Identifying contacts at organizations that are led by and work with people with disabilities is essential to recruiting applicants with disabilities for all types of international exchange programs. Disability-related organizations are also valuable sources of knowledge and support during the selection and pre-departure phases of a program. To plan ahead for inclusive outreach, include disability organizations, publications and websites on distribution lists for press releases, outreach materials and program information, and form relationships with local, national and international disability-related groups. These include:

• Disability rights organizations
• Disability services offices at colleges and universities
• University departments with disability-related degree programs (e.g. physical or occupational therapy, speech disfluency, disability studies, rehabilitation, special education, etc.)
• Independent living centers
• Rehabilitation organizations
• Disability sports or arts organizations
• Special education departments or schools
• Support groups
• Parent organizations

To get the attention of the disability community, consider including a disability activist who works internationally and hold some kind of online forum promoting international education. It would also be useful to tap into alumni with disabilities who went on an overseas program by incorporating them into existing podcasts or other media outlets. Visit Mobility International USA’s online searchable database to find disability organizations in your country, or contact the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange to inquire if you can be connected with a person with a disability from your country who has international exchange experience.

Examples of Good Practice

1. In Italy, the Mason Perkins Deafness Fund (MPDF) and Fulbright Commission are collaborating with Gallaudet University in the United States to administer Fulbright scholarships to Italian and American undergraduate and graduate students who are Deaf and/or working towards a degree in Deaf education. Developed in 1986 to offer an annual Fulbright scholarship to a Deaf Italian to attend Gallaudet University, the program has since expanded and is now a reciprocal exchange between Italy and the United States. Click on Working Together: Deaf Education and the Fulbright Program (Italy and USA) to read more about the history of collaboration between a Deaf organization in Italy and the local Fulbright Commission.
2. In partnership with LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas, the Fulbright Commission in Colombia is also expanding outreach to disability organizations to increase interest in the Fulbright Saldarriaga-Concha program, a scholarship program intended for people with disabilities and/or professionals working on the inclusion of people with disabilities in society to study in the United States. According to Fulbright Colombia Program Director, María del Rosario, “One of our [goals] now is to keep people informed so we can recruit more candidates each time. We hope to offer more than two grants in the future and that depends on the number of candidates we have each year.” To increase the number of applicants for the Fulbright Saldarriaga-Concha program, Rosario contacted the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange for tips on how to identify and network with disability organizations in Colombia and is planning a special event and other activities to raise awareness of the opportunities.
3. Since 2004, AFS Philippines has screened over 70 high school students with disabilities for the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, of whom at least a dozen have been selected to participate in this prestigious scholarship program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. AFS partner organizations in countries as diverse as Egypt, Ghana, India, and Malaysia have been equally successful in their efforts to include students with disabilities in the YES program. How have these organizations made outreach to students with disabilities an integral part of their overall recruitment plan?

• According to Tisha Lee V. Eduave, AFS Philippines Program Manager, “AFS Philippines has a strategic partnership with the National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA). One of the top ranking officers of the NCDA is an AFS returnee who has been an active supporter of AFS programs, particularly the YES program. Intercultural exchange opportunities for students with disabilities are promoted via campaign by YES alumni and volunteers, the AFS Philippines website and via Department of Education offices, especially those in Mindanao, and the U.S. Embassy website.”
• AFS Malaysia formed a similar partnership with the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD) to conduct outreach to Deaf students for the YES program in that country. At the start of each YES recruitment season, AFS Malaysia provides promotional materials to MFD and to schools that include Deaf students, and works with MFD throughout the screening and pre-departure process to provide sign language interpretation to Deaf applicants. As a result of this and partnerships with other local disability organizations, AFS Malaysia consistently sends students with disabilities on the YES program, one of whom was featured in a recruitment video, Students with Disabilities Succeeding in International Exchange on the YES Program, produced by Mobility International USA.

4) Include Schools and Community Organizations that Involve Youth with Disabilities in Outreach Efforts

According to UNESCO, in many countries only 10% of children with disabilities attend school. In some countries, that number is as low as 2-3%. As a result, the global literacy rate for people with disabilities worldwide is as low as 3% and people with disabilities are far more likely than their non-disabled peers to experience unemployment, poverty and violence. The international exchange community has a role to play in breaking that cycle by aggressively pursuing the inclusion of youth and adults with disabilities in international exchange programs, thereby helping to develop a cadre of future professionals with disabilities in their home countries.

In many countries, children who do receive education attend segregated schools or vocational training centers with other students with similar disabilities. Children with sensory disabilities may attend a school for Deaf or blind children. Those with physical disabilities may attend a school for children with cerebral palsy or other mobility disabilities. In other cases, students with disabilities attend mainstream schools with their non-disabled peers, but receive instruction in a separate classroom. 

Still other students with disabilities learn right alongside their non-disabled peers and may or may not receive academic accommodations (such as access to alternative format classroom materials or sign language interpretation) to support their learning experience. Mainstream schools often include students with certain types of physical disabilities, such as those with limb differences (shortened or missing hands, arms or legs) or those who use crutches or a cane for mobility.

To recruit students with disabilities it is imperative to include ALL schools in outreach efforts. Send application and program materials to schools that serve students with disabilities as well as integrated schools, and point out to school administrators at all schools that students with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Often, teachers and school administrators assume that only non-disabled students are welcome to apply to prestigious scholarship programs and will select only talented non-disabled students to complete the application. They may also be unaware that academic accommodations are available to international students with disabilities in the United States. Until exchange program recruiters inform them otherwise, they may never think to encourage students with disabilities and their parents to consider the opportunity.

Examples of Good Practice

1. The Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation (BDSF) has been instrumental in assisting with outreach to youth with disabilities for the YES program through its Youth Challengers Committee. Successful recruiting entails tapping into community organizations like the BDSF by adding them to distribution lists for press releases, outreach materials and program information, and asking alumni with and without disabilities to share their stories to community organizations that include youth with disabilities as part of their active involvement in alumni associations.
2. Valentina Yeboah, AFS Ghana Program Coordinator, developed a successful strategy for recruiting students with disabilities for the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program through trial and error. Yeboah explains that in past years the YES program was announced to all schools in a letter from the Ministry of Education. Though the letter included a statement welcoming students with disabilities to apply, the approach did not result in applications from students with disabilities. Yeboah then took a more active approach. She decided to send the letter directly to the heads of specialized schools for students with disabilities, “and most importantly, make a physical appearance in these schools to have a talk with the heads as well as make presentations during school gatherings to whip up interest.” Yeboah’s extra effort paid off and AFS Ghana has successfully recruited students with mobility disabilities and students who are Deaf for the YES program.
3. American Councils for International Education (ACIE) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, actively targets schools that serve students with disabilities in their YES outreach as well.
   

• For ACIE, a meeting with the Director of the Center for Blind and Partially Sighted Persons, a K-12 school, led to an invitation to present to students and parents at the start of the school year. According to ACIE’s Student Adviser, Aleksandra Vlajkovic, “That was one of the best things we did as that population is really not appropriately served and lacks information about education possibilities...We opted out the regular presentation and decided to divide in two smaller groups, to sit on  couches in their common room and to simply talk to students to discuss their wishes, fears and any other issues. We had an amazing response! Six students came to our first round YES testing who were either blind or partially sighted."

• ACIE also conducted outreach at the Center for Hearing and Speaking Rehabilitation, which administers an elementary and high school program for students with hearing disabilities in Sarajevo. “The Director there was very helpful, and he even called us a few weeks after to ask if we can come and talk to some of the parents of the children about our programs. As a result, some of the children with hearing and speaking disabilities will be applying this year for the YES program. At our meetings there were several teachers who work directly with the children and who promised that they will distribute our materials and present the programs to their students in sign language.”

5) Factor in Family and Peer Considerations

For young people with disabilities, parents often play a larger role in their lives for a longer period of time than for their non-disabled peers. Parents of young adults with disabilities may be hesitant to support their children’s desire to participate in an international exchange program in the United States. Therefore, if international exchange recruiters can convince parents that such opportunities are valuable experiences, there is a greater chance of recruiting youth and young adults with disabilities for international programs.

The benefits of international exchange are the same for disabled students and non-disabled students. Like their non-disabled peers, exchange students with disabilities are likely to find international experiences to be life-changing, offering opportunities to increase their cross-cultural knowledge, improve language skills, expand career opportunities, increase self-confidence, and much more. For many young people with disabilities, international experiences also offer opportunities to try new strategies for independence and inclusion in society.

Make time to talk with potential participants with disabilities and their parents one-on-one during the early phases of recruitment. If you are recruiting at a specialized school for students with disabilities, offer to hold an informational meeting for parents, teachers and students at the school, and invite alumni with disabilities to speak about their experiences in the United States. Be sensitive to their concerns and prepared to address their questions regarding accessibility in the United States. Parents of children with disabilities may ask questions such as:

• “My daughter needs assistance cutting her fingernails/cooking/selecting her clothing. Who will assist her with these things in the United States?
• “My son is blind and needs help getting from place to place. How will he get around?”
• “My daughter attends a specialized school for deaf students. Are there similar schools in the United States?”

When addressing the concerns of parents or other family members, the exchange recruiter’s attitude is far more important than the ability to address each and every question on the spot. Be positive!  When answers to questions about accessibility or safety in the United States are unknown, say, “I’ve never been asked that question, but I am going to find out for you. I do know that students with all types of disabilities have participated in this program and have been welcomed into American families and schools,” then contact the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange for information and resources.

In the meantime, share stories, pictures and videos (if available) of students with disabilities successfully participating in international exchange. Mobility International USA’s annual online newsletter of high school students with disabilities on the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), Youth Exchange and Study (YES) and American Serbia and Montenegro Youth Leadership Exchange (A-SMYLE) programs, and online videos, highlight the inclusion of students with diverse disabilities from many world regions in high school exchange. Stories by and about youth and adult participants with disabilities on other programs, including Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, Fulbright, Humphrey Fellowship Program, etc., are also available via the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE)’s stories webpage. Some of these stories and the entire International Youth issue of the A World Awaits You (AWAY) online journal are available in French and Arabic as well. 

In addition to addressing questions and concerns during the recruitment phase, applicants with disabilities and their families may require extra support during the screening and pre-departure process. Offer to link families of applicants and families of returnees, whether the returnees have disabilities, or not. Although parents of applicants with disabilities may have questions that are specifically related to their son or daughter’s disability, many of their questions will be the same as those of other parents. Contact with alumni and their parents can help parents and other family members feel confident about supporting their child’s desire to go abroad.

Applicants with disabilities may have questions and concerns too. Offer to put individuals with disabilities who are considering applying or who have already been accepted to a program in contact with alumni with disabilities to provide opportunities to address questions and concerns with a peer who has successfully participated in the program.

Examples of Good Practice

1. The Student Adviser at American Councils for International Education (ACIE) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aleksandra Vlajkovic, distinguished different personalities of students with disabilities when doing outreach, so adjusted the approach and information provided to the student based on this assessment to be most effective. "If a student lacks confidence and is a bit scared to try something new due to his or her disability, it is, by all means, important to emphasize all the accommodations that the student will receive....If a student does not see himself or herself as having some 'special' need, then it is best not to push it too hard. In that case it is best to remain available and open for all kinds of questions and give mild inputs regarding the placement and testings [accommodations], but nothing too pushy. Of course, parents are different issue in this case. Parents should be talked with separately and all their worries addressed."
2. In the A World Awaits You (AWAY) journal article, “Home Away from Home,” international exchange alumni with diverse disabilities talk about their parents’ reactions and concerns regarding their desire to study abroad and how they addressed those concerns to gain their support and encouragement, as well as the personal benefits they experienced as a result of their international experiences.

• "I learned how to be open about my disability,” says Alfiya Battalova, a young woman who uses a prosthesis and studied in the United States on the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. “I no longer set barriers for myself. I want to reveal the potential I have. Though I had some hesitations on my return to Russia, I chose to take classes at the university, rather than study at home and take exams twice a year, which is the common practice for most disabled students. I finished my first year in the Department of History at Omsk State University. I am glad I made this decision, because despite the difficulties I face every day, it is compensated by the valuable experience of studying in this setting. Overcoming is not always easy, but these strong, determined, and motivated people whom I had the chance to meet during my [U.S] stay helped me. The results of their work showed me the importance of being active. They showed me that the first step involves breaking stereotypes about disabled people. Their own experience inspired me because they started changing the world around them by taking the initiative and making efforts to have a better future. It has become a real stimulus for my further actions at home."

6) Target People with Disabilities for English Language Programs

One of the biggest barriers to the participation of people with disabilities in international exchange programs to the United States is a lack of access to English language learning opportunities. This is especially evident in countries and communities where students with disabilities begin school at a later age than their non-disabled peers and attend specialized schools with limited access to foreign language learning. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the English Access Microscholarship program (Access) provides English language instruction to non-elite youth in more than seventy countries. In some countries, the Access program is administered directly by the U.S. Embassy. In others, it is administered by organizations that also provide fee-based English classes to the public.

Purposely including youth with disabilities in the Access program and other English language programs is key to expanding the number of future applicants with disabilities with the language skills necessary to compete for scholarship and fellowship programs and admission to U.S. colleges and universities.

It is important to note that, as a program sponsored by the U.S. government, people with disabilities have a right to full participation in the Access program and in other programs sponsored by the U.S. government and/or administered by U.S. organizations. These include U.S. federal programs that send TESOL teachers and teacher trainers to other countries, such as the English Language Fellow Program, English Language Specialist Program, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program, and the Peace Corps. TESOL teachers on these programs should be encouraged to include students with disabilities in their classrooms or to consider a placement at a school or organization that serves individuals with disabilities.

Examples of Good Practice

1. The International Education and Research Network (iEARN) office in Mali made it a priority to include students with disabilities in English language classes sponsored by the U.S. Embassy. According to iEARN-Mali representative, Soukalo Dembele, “The English for Excellency program was not targeted at disabled students but after a [Mobility International USA] visit we added disabled students to the program...we had two students with physical disabilities among the fourteen to fifteen year olds who took the class for six months.” Dembele hopes that these students will be among the next cohort of Youth Exchange and Study (YES) exchange students from Mali to study in the United States for an academic year
2. The U.S. Department of State's Regional English Language Officer (RELO) for China and Mongolia, Russia, Bahrain and Colombia used creative ideas to train youth with disabilities in English, retrain people with disabilities to be English teachers, invite English Language Specialists with experience in the Deaf community, and train English teachers on curriculum for blind students. Read more in the AWAY Topics - English Language Learners with Disabilities Issue.
   

7) Invest in Staff and Volunteer Training

A positive, inclusive attitude is perhaps the best recruitment tool an organization or field office can have. As organizations expand outreach efforts to include youth and adults with disabilities, it is important to ensure that disability-inclusive policies are communicated to all staff members and volunteers. Interaction with an unsupportive or uninformed staff member can negate otherwise positive recruitment efforts. People who are involved in any aspect of promoting exchange programs – whether answering phones, greeting visitors, giving community presentations or performing other public relations functions – should be prepared to answer questions about the program’s commitment to including people with disabilities. The British Council, which has offices worldwide to promote higher education study in the United Kingdom, published for their staff "Promoting Disability Equality Guide" which covers changing organizational culture, ensuring inclusive communications, reviewing operational work, diversifying stakeholders, measuring progress, and more.

In addition to training existing staff and volunteers, consider filling staff and volunteer positions with qualified individuals who add diversity to your organization. Staff members who have disabilities, like people from other diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, can bring expertise and perspectives that increase an organization’s capacity to be inclusive. A person with a disability on a recruitment or selection committee can provide excellent problem-solving insights and help identify other useful contacts.

Examples of Good Practice

1. In Malaysia, the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD) has been instrumental in promoting the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program among deaf and hard of hearing youth and provides AFS Malaysia with valuable insights about applicants’ sign language skills, learning styles and readiness to be international exchange students. A wheelchair user who participated in the first year of the YES program and a blind alumnus from the same year, both from the Philippines, are now serving on the interview panel for YES applicants in that country.

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