Myths & Frequently Asked Questions
What do teachers, parents and paraprofessionals need to know when telling young students about international opportunities?
Photo Caption: The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange provides free information, resources and referrals to assist in answering your questions.
Why should my teenage child go abroad?
How old do students have to be to participate in an exchange program?
Give me 10 examples of potential international opportunities. I don’t even know what is possible.
My son uses a wheelchair, how will he be able to fly without me to another country?
It doesn't seem like a safe option for my child to travel internationally.
How will I communicate with my child if there is a problem?
What about graduation requirements while students are abroad?
Will my students who have disabilities receive the services they need overseas?
How will my students be able to afford an international experience?
What about my daughter who needs personal assistance?
What about international students with disabilities who are placed in my U.S. school district?
Why should my teenage child go abroad?
Far from being a luxury, there is strong evidence that links participation in international exchange such as a study abroad or language program with positive educational and career outcomes. Studies have demonstrated that participants in international exchanges believe the experience made a positive difference in their career and resulted in increased maturity, proficiency in a foreign language and knowledge of a specific culture.
Travel abroad helps youth and young adults with disabilities learn to use skills such as self-advocacy, communication, planning, and problem solving in a variety of situations. The pride people who travel abroad feel when they successfully solve a problem, or have a conversation with a person of another culture in their language, can be a life-changing experience. The time taken to support a young person to apply and plan for an international exchange program is worth it considering the amazing experience abroad that builds self-confidence, cross-cultural skills, independence, and career development skills. For example, Beth Ocrant, who is legally blind, gained significant benefits when she spent her junior year abroad studying in England. According to Beth's mother, Shelley Serota, “I would tell any parent to encourage their child to take advantage of a study abroad program. It provides a unique and memorable experience along with testing the individual's independent living skills and challenging their sense of adventure and goal setting for their adult life."
How old do students have to be to participate in an exchange program?
International exchange programs are available for all ages, but when looking specifically at K-12 schools, most exchange programs send students between 15-18 years old. However there are a few middle school programs and family programs that younger students can join. Contact the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) for more information. Top of Page
Give me 10 examples of potential international opportunities. I don’t even know what is possible.
1. Participate on an international volunteer program as a family, renovating a farm house in Finland.
2. Study at a high school in Japan on a Youth for Understanding or AFS exchange program.
3. Be a camp counselor for the summer in another country or in the U.S. with other international participants.
4. Volunteer to provide needed wheelchairs and other supplies in Mexico.
5. Host an international student from Malaysia and have an international experience without leaving home.
6. Spend a year in Germany with the Congress Bundestag or Rotary International youth exchange programs.
7. Work with a local deaf organization in Jamaica to build a school.
8. Participate in a disability sports event in Australia.
9. Travel to France to take French language lessons and be an au pair.
10. Take a music and cultural trip around Europe for the summer with a tour group or your school teacher.
My son uses a wheelchair, how will he be able to fly without me to another country?
On most high school exchange programs, the students fly together in a group with the trip leaders and/or chaperones. With protection provided by the U.S. Air Carriers Access Act, and a U.S. toll-free 24 hour hotline for access-related problems, travelers with mobility disabilities are traveling by air more than ever. However, this doesn't mean that issues such as securing one's wheelchair, transferring to a seat and negotiating connections at airports are always smooth. Your son will gain new skills as he learns how to explain to people the best way for them to assist him in transfers, or how he can politely refuse help if it is not needed. For more information on flying with a disability, our National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange staff have added recent security guidelines in the "news" section of our website and list ongoing regulations in our Air Travel Tip Sheet for People with Disabilities.
It doesn't seem like a safe option for my child to travel internationally.
Thousands of students travel abroad for cultural or educational experiences each year, because they know that the rewards outweigh the risks. Youth exchange organizations have been sending students abroad for many decades, and the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) and Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) establishes standards for international exchange organizations operating at the high school level so that youth are provided with meaningful and safe international exchange experiences.
To feel more secure in the program that is chosen, parents can investigate: travel/medical insurance that is provided and what it covers (including pre-existing conditions and medical evacuation), travel advisories for countries worldwide, advice from past participants’ parents, orientation materials and sessions for students and their parents, how long the program has been operating, how they select and screen their host families, and the trip leader’s emergency procedures and communication plans.
You can also reduce risks by planning ahead. Will the battery for a power wheelchair work in a country that has a different voltage system? Can your child travel with enough medications to last through the entire program? Does the program have a good support system such as parent chaperones, teachers, in-country staff or host families?
How will I communicate with my child if there is a problem?
The advancement of technology has made international communication possible anywhere in the world. You and your child will likely have the opportunity to communicate via cell phones, international phone booths, telephones from host family houses, online blogs, faxes, instant messaging, and email. The exchange program should also have emergency contact information available. “There was a short time period where my daughter was quite lonely,” says Sandy Grevé, who’s daughter uses a wheelchair and traveled to France. “It was difficult to be so far away and not be able to hug and comfort her - but we could talk by phone. I purchased an international calling card, and we did instant email messaging, which helped.”
Exchange programs generally advise parents to give their child time to adapt to his or her new surroundings and friends before calling. "As soon as I got to the first hotel I was the only one who got a message and it was my father," says Angela Winfield who has a vision impairment and was on a high school trip to England. "In the beginning my parents called every day for the first 2-3 days." The beginning of most exchange programs is filled with orientations, group activities and tours that often fill up the first couple of weeks abroad. Youth may need to time before they can process these new experiences and share them with their friends and family back home.
Don't most programs require teens to know a foreign language?
The majority of exchange programs for this age group do not require prior foreign language skills, and many of the programs for U.S. youth go to English speaking countries. Often the trip leaders will know the language of the host country and can facilitate communication as needed. Many of the homestay families, tour guides, and local contacts for U.S. student groups are often English-speaking.
Students on longer programs often learn the host language by being immersed in it. Many students begin to feel comfortable using the foreign language after a month of classes and practicing. The NCDE also has information on foreign language learning for people with certain disabilities.
For international students coming to the United States, many programs require an intermediate level of English to enroll in a school program. However this isn't always the case. Alina, who has a prosthetic leg, came to Minnesota from Switzerland on a Rotary Youth Exchange. "I didn’t have to do an interview or know English. I had three years of English and they are just glad if you have some experience with English."
What about graduation requirements while students are abroad?
Most high school exchange programs have a summer option so students can go abroad for a few weeks in the summer without missing school. For other students that directly enroll in foreign high schools for a semester or academic year, they can work with their guidance counselors to arrange transfer credits, class approval and early graduation requirements. They may need to complete some summer school classes both before and after their time abroad. For U.S. students with IEP or 504 transition plans, the team or parents may choose to check in throughout the year on progress or organize a team overseas to monitor it. However, this is a choice and is not required while the student is overseas; although the host country may have its own special education requirements.
Will my students who have disabilities receive the services they need overseas?
U.S.-based high school exchange programs cannot exclude a student because he or she has a disability; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are less clear on how much a U.S. based program is required to accommodate a U.S. student with a disability in another country. U.S. students who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) cannot simply expect continued provision of such services while studying at a high school abroad, regardless of whether those services are included in an Individualized Education Program Plan (IEP), according to Silvia Yee and Larisa Cummings of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. Since the IDEA has no application outside of the United States, and the application of the ADA and Section 504 are debatable, parents should also look to special education laws in the host country and what these will provide (see the blue box at the bottom of the “Home Away from Home” article in this AWAY issue). For information regarding the extent to which the ADA and Section 504 covers U.S. exchange students while abroad, see the free downloadable book, Rights and Responsibilities: A Guide to National and International Disability-Related Laws for International Exchange Organizations and Participants.
International students with disabilities coming to the United States on a program are typically covered by the IDEA, Section 504 and ADA regardless of their citizenship. For more information, read the article, Understanding Entitlement To Services And Protections Under U.S. Special Education Law: Are Foreign Exchange High School Students Covered?
Planning ahead and anticipating disability-related accommodations in advance may lead to easily resolvable access arrangements abroad without need for legal leverage, especially for short-term programs. It is imperative that your students and their parents communicate with the study abroad program staff about the student’s learning styles and techniques, access needs, and support services. Preparing a list of questions for the study abroad program staff that will clarify what accommodations are already in place and what may be added or altered to ensure that your students have successful educational experiences is also beneficial. Ask these questions in a joint meeting with all present. While the study abroad staff may know more about the overseas situation, the student's special education team (since preparations leading up to a study abroad experience can be written into an IEP for a U.S. student) may have more ideas about alternative accommodation possibilities and could add insight into the discussions. Request a schedule of planned activities to discuss each day with the student, trip leader and parents to reduce unexpected access barriers, such as on field trips and excursions. For students going on short-term programs, draw upon community resources at home and abroad to make arrangements as needed or to raise funds. Disability organizations in the host country can provide details about the public transportation system, and contacts with host families with accessible homes. A quick website search can also turn up some articles on the status of inclusive education in other countries.
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How will my students be able to afford an international experience?
For students with disabilities, there are a wide array of funding opportunities available including scholarships and fundraising strategies. Students who are determined to participate in an exchange program have been successful in obtaining needed funds. Don’t let financial restrictions dissuade you from promoting these experiences. Numerous strategies for raising funds are available, such as researching and applying for scholarships from the program itself, approaching a local place of worship, organizing a fundraising party, or contacting local organizations such as Lion’s Club or Rotary Club that may provide scholarship opportunities. In addition, many high school programs try to keep costs as low as possible to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to apply. The U.S. Department of State also has scholarship programs available for high school students from the U.S., Germany, Eurasia, and predominately Muslim countries.
“I was in Bermuda for five days. Our program was about drug prevention – we’d go to elementary and middle schools to show that older kids do other things than drugs and try to encourage [students] to be drug free. They had organizations similar to ours here, so it was interesting to go into the schools to see how things were different and how they compared,” says Kim Borowicz, who has a visual impairment and went overseas when she was sixteen. "Twenty of us did fundraising. I had to pay a couple hundred dollars. It was a low amount that I could raise by washing cars."
What about my daughter who needs personal assistance?
For young people with disabilities, their parents sometimes also take on the role of personal care provider. In general, parents typically are discouraged from accompanying their child on high school exchange programs, unless it is a family-oriented or parent-chaperoned trip. There are several alternatives to a parent going along as personal assistant. Some have found reliable friends or older siblings to fulfill an attendant role. Perhaps the program can provide free lodging or activities during the trip for the person providing the assistance. Sometimes professional attendants from home may be willing to negotiate their fees in exchange for the opportunity to travel abroad.
For people who are open to hiring a personal assistant, it might be less expensive to do this abroad. Your daughter needs to be prepared to train the person about what her exact needs are and be comfortable speaking the local language. For trips that move from city to city, the person hired would also need to have flexibility to travel. Some government health funding for medical and disability costs may not travel outside of one's country, while others (like SSDI and SSI for some U.S. children with disabilities) will. Once abroad, some students with disabilities will also discover that more accessible environments, availability of adaptive equipment or practicing new strategies will make it easier to do common activities on their own that their parents may have typically done for them while home.
I’m busy. It seems complicated and overwhelming. Where can I send a teenager with a disability to learn more or talk with other teens with disabilities who have done this?
The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, has experienced and knowledgeable staff who are here to answer any of your or the teenager's questions, concerns and inquiries for free. Both on our website and in one-on-one conversations, we can provide information specifically for high school students with disabilities in the United States and from abroad. We also have a peer-to-peer network and other A World Awaits You journals written by and for people with disabilities. To search for programs, browse our International Exchange database (select "high school" from the keyword list). We look forward to the opportunity to work with you and help make your teenager's visions a reality. Contact us via phone, TTY, fax or email Monday – Friday 9:00 -5:30 pm Pacific Time. Is it easy? Is it simple? No. Is it worth it? Definitely.
What about international students with disabilities who are placed in my U.S. school district?
Students with disabilities that come to the United States on an exchange program are often placed in public high schools throughout the United States, and they generally receive the same services and protections as U.S. students. They typically must have an intermediate level of English if they are doing a study program, although their skills in American Sign Language, adaptive technologies, and Grade Two Braille will vary. You can learn more about the legal or policy issues, and actual experiences of paraprofessionals on our website. Also these students often need a welcoming homestay family in the district to live with, so families that have children with disabilities may be the perfect volunteers for hosting these students from overseas in their homes.
Teleconference Transcripts on Youth with Disabilities in International Exchanges
Yes, Youth with Disabilities Can Travel to Study Abroad - September 2005
This teleconference explained more in-depth about the reasons international exchange programs are important for youth with disabilities, the practical advice on how to make these experiences possible, and the steps that can be taken to achieve international participation.
International Travel: Journey to a New Beginning - April 2006
This teleconference included presentations by several young people with disabilities who share what having an international experience meant to them.
Achieving Successful Transition and Employment Through International Experiences - June 2006
This teleconference explored study abroad as a tool to self-sufficiency and long-term employment. Included in the conference’s panel of speakers were: a state vocational rehabilitation director, a youth and transition coordinator from the U.S. Social Security Administration, a university study abroad director, and a former student with a disability who studied abroad in the Czech Republic and Greece and who is now self-employed.
Independence Beyond Borders: A Teleconference for Parents of Children with Disabilities and Youth Influencers - October 2006
This teleconference features parents of youth with disabilities who have participated on international exchange programs; a young exchange program alumnus who has a disability; and an educator or transition specialist from the Western Regional Resource Center (WRRC).
The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange assisted in presenting and facilitating these teleconferences.