Resource Library

Best Practices
In the foreground graphic, a metal pole supports a yellow diamond-shaped road sign labeled “Funding” and below it, a green sign labeled “Univ Arizona, Duke University.” In the background photo, an inclining road with yellow double center lines rises towards reddish rocky hills below a hazy pink sky. Map markers show photo of a young white male student seated in a wheelchair with a dog in one and leaning against a camel in another

Funding Access to a Priceless Experience

That’s the idea behind many higher education institutions’ forward-thinking approach to ensuring that no disabled student is denied the opportunity to study abroad due to the costs of facilitating access.

Best Practices
In the foreground graphic, a metal pole supports a brown road sign labeled “Advocacy” and below it, a green sign labeled “Univ Illinois Urbana-Champaign.” In the background photo, a straight road passes through shadows to bright sun as it leads to golden grass, green trees, and blue mountains beyond. A map marker shows Hugo Trevino in front of a Buddha statue

Advocating for Access

One of those students was Hugo Trevino, who developed his passion for international travel while an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Tip Sheets
A piece of paper reads Student Loan Application.

Loans for U.S. Study

Loans can help cover U.S. study costs for those who don’t receive enough funding from scholarships or savings. Could a student loan be right for you?

Tip Sheets
Three international men with disabilities clap and cheer.

Funded Programs to the U.S.

Apply for a program that will cover your expenses to the U.S. as you advance your professional or academic goals.

Tip Sheets
Two women present a third women with a special award certificate.

Scholarships for U.S. Study

Most international students fund their U.S. studies through personal or family savings. The more scholarship money you receive, the less you and your family will have to pay using savings or loans. Learn the basic facts about scholarships, then browse examples of popular scholarship opportunities.

Personal Stories
Ming sitting in wheelchair in front of classroom as students behind her have their heads down writing.

Turning a Corner: Reflections on China from a Language Student

Yet her experience studying Chinese started much earlier. She was raised in a Chinese orphanage. As a child with scoliosis who used a wheelchair, her future prospects were limited. That all changed after getting adopted by an American family and coming to the United States at the age of eleven. At that point much of her Chinese was lost and replaced with English. 

When Ming began to study Chinese independently as a teenager, it was her way of reconnecting with that country that she had left behind.

Personal Stories
People pose for a group photo outside the White House during their tour of the East Wing

Watching History Unfold: My Fulbright Experience in Washington, DC

The most fascinating, and therefore rewarding, part of my U.S. experience was being in Washington, DC during a U.S. presidential election (2004). Through the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, I had an opportunity to conduct research at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) during a sabbatical leave from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Tip Sheets
Collection of foreign currency.

Find Exchange Funding to the U.S.

Visa fees, airfare, health insurance, tuition, test fees, housing... International exchange expenses to the U.S. can add up quickly! Are you prepared?

Personal Stories
Hilda in middle of streets in Cameroon speaking with children with disabilities

Affecting Change on a Continental Level

Reflecting on her Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Hilda Bih Muluh says it starts with public policy.

“If we can change the national policy, then it will change a lot for people with disabilities both now and even those in the future; not just one person or one part of the country, but the nation together.”

Tip Sheets
foreign currency

How to Fund an Experience of a Lifetime

You’re probably thinking, “Wait, I have to pay to volunteer or work abroad?” It may seem counterintuitive, but keep in mind that there are significant costs for programs to send, train, and support participants abroad. Typically, U.S. sending organizations, participants, and host country partners work together to share these costs.

Tip Sheets
foreign currency

10 Scholarships to Fund Your Travels Abroad

Be an ambassador for peace, master a foreign language, give back through services…and do it all in another country! These ten scholarship opportunities can help make it happen. Although each one has its own eligibility requirements, all of them are open to U.S. citizens with disabilities.

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