Summary and next steps
Next steps
- Make an organization-wide commitment to the Practice of Yes!
- Take a Self-Assessment and develop an Action Plan to address your organizational next steps
- Learn lessons from the Frontline Survey of international exchange providers frontline response
- Contact the NCDE for resources and one-on-one assistance
Each step taken to prepare for the widest range of qualified participants is a further step towards the ideals of a better world for all through human interaction and understanding through experiences set forth in the inception of international programs. The next time you or your staff are tempted to say no, say yes, and work the details out as they come.
For additional resources, please read:
A Practice of Yes! Working with overseas partners to include people with disabilities
Building Bridges: A Manual on Including People with Disabilities in International Exchange Programs
Other NCDE Services
- Provides free personalized information, referrals and support
- Conducts training workshops and presentations at regional and national conferences
- Maintains a database of individuals with disabilities who have participated in programs abroad (peer to peer network), disability organizations worldwide and international exchange programs and resources
- Provides informational sheets, resources and publications through the NCDE website and upon request
Resources for those working in Exchange
In addition to individualized information and referral, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange offers the following information sheets online at www.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets.
- Budgeting and Paying for Accommodations - Low Cost Suggestions
- Accommodation Checklists: Alcoholism, Blind and Visually Impaired, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Diabetes, Mobility disabilities, ADD/ADHD, Psychiatric disabilities
The Colleague-to-Colleague Network
The Colleague Network seeks to connect professionals in the fields of international exchange and working with people with disabilities to increase the participation/inclusion of participants with disabilities in all types of international programs. The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange created the Colleague-to-Colleague Network to connect people in the fields of exchange and working with people with disabilities with experience including people with disabilities in international programs to professionals, who would like to include people with disabilities but need assistance from a person experienced with the issues that can-sometimes-surround the inclusion of participants with disabilities.
Resources for individuals with disabilities
Participants on exchange programs that are experiencing their first time away from the comforts and familiarity of home may benefit from resources that will assist them to identify what type of supports they may need in order to successfully participate in your program. Also, sometimes, it is easier for a person with a disability to ask some of those disability related questions surrounding participating on your program of another person with similar challenges participants and staff may access our Peer-to-Peer Network consisting of 300 individuals with disabilities from around the world.
Survival Strategies for Going Abroad: A Guide for People with Disabilities is a helpful resource wherein more than twenty experienced travelers with disabilities share stories, tips and resources related to participating in international programs. This easy-to-use guide addresses the disability-related aspects of going on an international exchange, including choosing a program, applying, preparing to travel, adjusting to life in a new country and returning home. Find a wealth of useful information and advice to help in planning experiences abroad.