Before getting into the weeds, let’s start by looking at what the best program would be for you.
Over the course of this module, we will look at the many things to consider when choosing a program, before diving into the different types of programs and opportunities that are out there.
A key take away is that international education does not just mean “study abroad.” It includes all types of purposeful travel from a 10 day tour led by a faculty member to the United Kingdom, to a 27 month stent in the Peace Corps, to a summer volunteering at an Indonesian orphanage organized through your own connections.
Who, What, Where, When Why
You might remember how you learned to ask these questions in your creative writing class before beginning the first draft of a story. In a sense, your international education exchange is also a story, and it makes sense to begin with these questions before starting.
- Who do you want to do your program with? You could take a class, volunteer or intern alongside Americans, internationals, individuals from the host country or a mix of all three.
- What do you want to do? You could take a tour, volunteer to dig wells, teach English, earn a Master’s degree, conduct research and more.
- Where do you want to do it? Depending on your answers to the other questions, this may be extremely flexible. You might be able to in turn in Nairobi Kenya, but then again it may be just the same if you do so in Sydney Australia. On the other hand, if you want to study Spanish, or conduct research on Arab culture, there may be fewer options from which to choose.
- When do you want to do it and for how long? Planning to go abroad can take up to a year of planning and preparation. You not only have to make the connections and get accepted, you also may need to obtain a visa and a passport. You may also have disability-specific matters to square way such as getting permission to travel with medications, identifying accessible housing or getting the correct documentation for your service dog. After that, you may have to think about how long you can afford to be abroad, and if there is anything that you need to do such as graduate.
- Why do you want to do it? Once again, this question is going to tie a lot of others together. If your goal is to earn credit toward a degree, or even a degree itself, you may have to commit a larger amount of time to get it done, while being more open about where you go. On the other hand, if you simply want to satisfy an international studies requirement, a shorter program in whatever country your favorite faculty member is going to this summer may be fine.
We encourage you to use these questions as a template for figuring out the international opportunity that is best for you, both accounting for disability and non-disability needs. Now let’s get started with the module.
NCDE is a project of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, designed to increase the participation of people with disabilities in international exchange between the United States and other countries, and is supported in its implementation by Mobility International USA.
Many people ask, “Which country should I visit?” This question often stems from anxiety about the perceived difficulty of traveling in certain, often low and middle income, countries. In the following article, we encourage you to start by exploring non-accessibility-related questions first.
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