MIUSA conducted a one-day arrival orientation in Washington, D.C., on January 22, 2015, for a Deaf high school exchange student from Malaysia selected to participate in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The student joins nine academic-year YES students with disabilities already living and studying in host communities across the United States.
The MIUSA orientation included:
- Site visits to the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) and the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD)
- Discussions with Deaf peers at MSSD and Gallaudet University
- Introduction to the U.S. disability rights movement and laws
- Goal setting for the semester ahead
Following the MIUSA orientation, the student traveled to her Arkansas host community where she lives with a host family and attends a U.S. high school for the spring semester.
