Sausan Rahmatullah has always enjoyed volunteering. So when she heard that an organization in her home of Dhaka, Bangladesh was hosting a scholarship competition for high-achieving Bangladeshi students with physical disabilities, she immediately volunteered as a judge.
Having been introduced to so many talented students with disabilities through the volunteer experience, Sausan felt compelled to do more. Fortunately, the answer was right up her alley.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by Mobility International USA, NCDE is your free resource to start you on your journey. Get to know us!
Tip: Download the accessible infographic under Documents or view on Flickr.
Later, the two ran into one of her partner’s friends. Stephanie was walking with her cane, and her partner explained to the friend how and why Stephanie used it. Stephanie was delighted to let her partner do the talking.
“She repeated everything I had just told her. I was so excited—the ripple had started.”
Welcome to the online A World Awaits You (AWAY) journal on people with disabilities traveling with a purpose.
We invite you to take a journey with us through this issue of A World Awaits You and to think about how studying, researching, interning or volunteering in Sub-Saharan Africa — or coming from this region as a visitor to the United States — will shape your own contributions.
In the right situation with the right supports, an individual with a traumatic brain injury can increase the boundaries of their potential while recovering abilities and a sense of identity.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), in contrast to an intellectual disability or learning disability, is acquired through a blow or jolt to the head causing a disruption in brain function. It can involve reduced capacity in cognitive, sensory, physical, or psychosocial abilities, which previously might have been easy for the individual.
Most language course work focuses on visual input as the main tool for teaching language. Students practice vocabulary by identifying pictures in the target language. Cultural curriculum focuses on the visual arts or landscapes. Exams ask students to match categories in corresponding lists.
Blind or visually impaired people benefit from language study in the same way as sighted students, but there are some key differences in the way that they learn. A multisensory approach to language teaching can help shift to a more inclusive environment.
Smiles spread on the Japanese storekeepers' faces as Jonathon, an obvious foreigner, asks them a question in their language. Jonathon, a University of Iowa graduate student who is spending a semester abroad, loves this interaction with the locals, both for absorbing the culture and practicing his Japanese language skills.
If you attend conferences or host events related either to the disability community or study abroad field, why not bring the topic of people with disabilities going abroad into the fore? Let us get you started with Powerpoint slides ready to insert into your next presentation.
The slides cover:

Percent of YES Students with Disabilities by Recruitment Organization (2007-2016)
Infographic shown as portions of an apple.
72% AFS
23% IEARN
< 1% American Councils
< 1% AMIDEAST
< 1% IRIS

YES Students with Disabilities by Disability Type (2007-2016), as shown on a pie chart.
44% Deaf/HOH
35% Blind/Low Vision
19% Physical Disability
20% Non-apparent
FLEX Students with Disabilities by Disability Type (2007-2016), as shown on a pie chart.
59% Physical Disability
8% Deaf/HOH
4% Non-apparent
29% Blind/Low Vision

Total Number of Students by Disability Type (2007-2016)
- 40% Physical Disability
- 32% Blind/ Low Vision
- 25% Deaf/HOH
- 2% Non-apparent
Students with Physical Disabilities
- 37% Cerebral Palsy
- 11% Scoliosis
- 7% Short Stature
- 8% Amputee
- 3% Spina Bifida
- 1% Polio
- 1% Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
- 32% Other

Number of Students with Disabilities by Placement Organization (2007-2016)
Depicted as layers on an image of a pencil.

Percent of Deaf or Blind Students Placed at Specialized Schools vs. Mainstream Schools (2007-2016)
Illustrated by highlighted symbols of students and a schoolhouse
- 50% of students who are Deaf are placed at specialized schools vs. in mainstream public schools
- 25% of students who are blind are placed at specialized schools vs. in mainstream public schools
The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) and Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programs are competitive, merit-based scholarship programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Over the last ten years, more than 250 students with disabilities from 37 countries have participated these life-changing youth programs.
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