Answering a call to “ignite change in education abroad,” MIUSA is honored to be the winner of The Forum on Education Abroad’s 2026 InnovateEA pitch competition!
MIUSA’s idea is “Wheelchair Riders Change the World!”, a bold new initiative to increase the number of wheelchair riders participating in international education and to enhance the experiences they have abroad. Wheelchair Riders Change the World! will provide scholarships to self-identified wheelchair riders to have an international education experience consisting of both in-person and online components. Each of these scholars will take on leadership roles to champion topics such as disability justice, climate justice, peace-building, and inclusive development. Participants will return home as passionate ambassadors for international education and recruit peers to create a multiplier effect.
MIUSA CEO Susan Sygall, a proud wheelchair rider herself, describes what motivated her innovative idea: “We have so few people with disabilities – especially wheelchair riders – who are participating in international educational exchange. I think we can totally turn that around! And so instead of being the lowest group of people participating in international exchange, we can be the leaders!”
MIUSA was delighted to invite Kevin Sullivan, Assistant Director of Education Abroad at Case Western Reserve University, to present the 5-minute pitch on MIUSA’s behalf at the Forum on Education Abroad Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday, March 13, 2026. We knew Kevin is as passionate about this subject as we are, having stated, “As an international educator who is also a wheelchair user, I can speak with certainty that individuals with disabilities are expertly skilled at problem solving and adapting to different situations. Not because we always want to, but learning those skills comes with the territory of living in a world without universal access—a world not built for us.”
Addressing the room of international educators and others at the Forum’s Closing Celebration Luncheon, Kevin closed with these parting words: “Wheelchair riders change the world. We always have. In 1990, the ADA wouldn’t have passed without the Capitol Crawl, and the curb cut effect benefits everyone. In 2026, let’s change the face of education abroad. In five years, I hope we will no longer need to ask, ‘where are the wheelchair riders?’ because you’ll see us rollin’ everywhere.”
The audience then selected “Wheelchair Riders Change the World” as the winner in real time! We are immensely grateful to everyone who made this honor possible:
The Forum on Education Abroad, for providing this opportunity and platform to share this big idea;
Meg Ramey, Executive Director of WorldKind, for extraordinary mentorship and wisdom throughout the competition process;
Kevin Sullivan, Assistant Director of Education Abroad at Case Western Reserve University, for bringing the pitch to life with his experience and passion;
The Forum conference community, for supporting and believing in this idea with us;
All InnovateEA finalists who shared their innovative visions for the field, which included:
- AI Context Playbook: The AI Built for International Education | Kodi Henderson, Education Product Lead, Hanover CRM, and Robert Burchell, Managing Director, Hanover CRM
- Connecting Community College Students to the World: A Virtual Fair Model | Shawn Wall, Founder & Executive Director, World at Hand
- Creating Global Belonging: The Pride Network for Education Abroad | Dr. Carolina Castro Huercano, Chair and Assistant Professor of the Global Master of International Education, School for International Training (SIT Graduate Institute)
- Neurodiversity and Disability Abroad: A Website for Inclusive Study Abroad | Mary Alice Haas, University Relations Director, CIS Abroad – Center for International Studies, Cherie Fishbaugh, Executive Director of Specialized Learning, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and Emily Rooney, EdD, Director of Academic Programs and Services, CEA CAPA Education Abroad
Read more details about the finalists on the InnovateEA webpage.
Stay tuned for future updates to learn how to get involved in Wheelchair Riders Change the World, and in the meantime, explore some of our international exchange resources by and for wheelchair riders! We are so excited to bring this idea into fruition and for the potential impact it will have on wheelchair riders and the international education field!
