Even though the numbers are steadily rising, people with disabilities are still significantly underrepresented in community college international exchange programs. Promoting study abroad for community college students, including students with disabilities, is a natural extension of the community college commitment to diversity and the reality of today’s global community.
The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange was grateful to collaborate with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Snow College, and Bellevue College on a session to share the importance of committing to inclusion and sharing practices to support both American students with disabilities and international students with disabilities participating in a community college international exchange program.
Session:
Title: Championing for Disability Inclusion in International Exchange
Session Description: The session offered strategies to take inclusive practices to the next level by sharing best practices in the field, providing practical resources to supporting participants with disabilities participating in an international exchange program, and by bridging communities to further enhance a commitment to inclusion amongst community college faculty and staff.
Audience members were very engaging and interested in bringing the shared practices to their campus!
Presenters:
- Monica Malhotra, Mobility International USA
- David Levin, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
- Alex Peterson, Snow College
- Li Liu, Bellevue College
Additional Conference Highlights:
The NCDE also met with staff from Fulbright, Critical Language Scholarship, Gilman Scholarship, and EducationUSA to gather updates on the inclusion of people with disabilities in their programs. These programs have worked very intently to ensure people with disabilities are included at every step of the journey.
Read more about Community Colleges for International Development (CCID)
