Does your disability make you hesitate to expand your education beyond the borders of the U.S.? It shouldn’t, according to the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Whether you have vision impairment, deafness, cognitive disability or use a wheelchair, the opportunity to study in a foreign country is available.

Disability and Student Travel
You will be among the three percent of study abroad students who have disabilities and have also chosen to travel.  Granted, there will be difficulties. But whether you’re worried about exclusion, miscommunication, or perhaps unwanted attention, there are also ways to get around every issue.

Most staff and students in study abroad programs are happy to help you work through whatever roadblocks may be in your way to help you fully experience what the country has to offer. Whether you’re there to learn a language or just to see another part of the world, it’s quite possible that disability accommodations won’t be quite what you’re used to at home.

People with Disabilities Gain Insight
This doesn’t mean you won’t make wonderful new friends, see amazing sights and have experiences you couldn’t get anywhere else. In fact, one of the most valuable portions of your trip can be finding  out how people with disabilities are treated in your host country. Whatever the case, you and nearly every other student who dares to wander outside their comfort zone will return home with broader perspectives that will impact everything you do afterward.

Hundreds of study abroad programs are available for people with disabilities. It’s up to you to define your goals. Do you want to help others in an impoverished area of the world? Are you trying to speak a particular language? Or is there a field of study you’d like to concentrate on?

Roughing It … Or Not
Consider your disability and what you can tolerate. Do you want to go to an urban area that has been host to a recent Paralympics and will have progressive accessibility standards? Would you prefer a destination that is less industrialized and therefore will require you to be more independent? Can accommodations for your condition be made? Exactly what are your needs?

How about your learning style? There are study programs available that mimic classwork at home, but are taught in a foreign language. Others concentrate on field trips and “real life” experiences with a host family.

Special Needs: Assistive Technology, More
Choose several programs to check out in depth. Will the credits transfer to your school? How long will you be gone? How much does it cost? What sort of living arrangements are there? Make sure that you ask about every portion of your journey: arrival, housing, eating, excursions, assistive technology availability, traveling around the country, etc.

Do you need a quiet room for exams? A host family with a wheelchair-friendly house? Braille or talking books? Don’t feel shy about asking for anything you can think of that might be necessary.

The following tips will help you think through your journey:
•    Tell program staffers that you have a disability early in the process.
•    Think about what you need to pack: medical items, assistive technology, hearing aid batteries.
•    Check your health insurance coverage.
•    Talk to students who have gone to your destination.
•    Talk to others with disabilities who have used your program’s services.

Once at your destination, be open to new ways of doing things. You may have to ask a stranger for help, or bring a book along for the inaccessible portion of a field trip. Learn to ask for a push in your host country’s language. The more you can roll with the punches, the richer your experience will be.

Who knows, perhaps you’ll return home and become an advocate for people with disabilities traveling abroad!

For more information, visit the CIEE website, or go to Mobility International USA (MIUSA)  for more on disability and international exchange, including tips and a list of organizations that have included people with disabilities in their international studies programs.