Intern with MIUSA!

Intern with MIUSA! 0

This summer, MIUSA had three superstar interns who played a big role in our inbound exchange programs while getting valuable experience working at a non-profit organization. Many of MIUSA’s current employees started as interns, and it’s a great way to get started with a career in international exchange, disability rights, or non-profit management. MIUSA also [...]

WILD smiles

WILD smiles 1

WILD delegates show their brilliant smiles during Mobility International USA’s successful three-week Women’s Institute of Leadership and Disability program! To learn more about the WILD program, click here.   All photographs by Patrick Galasso.

Olympians with disabilities make history

Olympians with disabilities make history 0

The Paralympics begin next week on August 29th, but it has already been a historic Olympic run for athletes with disabilities. Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic final. In the process of becoming an Olympian, he has become a worldwide star and has been on the cover of GQ [...]

Putting the Community in Community Gardens

Putting the Community in Community Gardens 0

Last week, Mobility International USA hosted 27 FLEX, YES and A-SMYLE high school exchange students with disabilities from around the world, and one of the highlights of their weeklong visit was a morning spent volunteering in Grassroots Garden. Grassroots Garden, which grows food for the hungry in Lane County, Oregon, has thousands of volunteers each [...]

Saying YES and getting WILD

Saying YES and getting WILD 0

August is often the busiest month at MIUSA, and this August promises to be busier than ever, as our exchange team will be hosting 27 FLEX/YES high school exchange students and 27 WILD women from 27 countries. The 6th International Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) will bring together women with disabilities from Burundi [...]

Building Bridges between American & Syrian Youth: An Interview with Sarah Funes

Building Bridges between American & Syrian Youth: An Interview with Sarah Funes 2

This post was guest-written by the Open Hands Initiative Team. The Open Hands Initiative is a U.S.-based non-profit organization that specializes in fostering cross-cultural dialogue and exchanges between American and international youth. Our programming focuses on three thematic areas including disability and accessibility, journalism, and the arts. Through our people-to-people diplomacy projects, we seek to [...]

Should I disclose my disability?

Should I disclose my disability? 0

Like many other people with disabilities, I struggle with the issue of disclosure. Legally, I’m not required to disclose that I am Deaf unless I plan to ask for accommodations. At the same time, I’ve learned that I need to disclose my disability at some point in the process of applying for an international exchange [...]

Check out our latest AWAY Topics: Citizen Diplomats with Disabilities

Check out our latest AWAY Topics: Citizen Diplomats with Disabilities 0

Celebrate 4th of July by becoming a citizen diplomat! To learn more about citizen diplomacy, check out our new AWAY Topics: Citizen Diplomats with Disabilities. According to the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD), citizen diplomats “are motivated by a responsibility to engage with the rest of the world in a meaningful, mutually beneficial dialogue.” [...]

Touching Down in Taiwan

Touching Down in Taiwan 1

When Molly Rogers, a professor at the University of Oregon, visited the island of Penghu, Taiwan, to present a paper on Kansei Engineering and Emotion Research, it was the first time she’d traveled solo since becoming a wheelchair user. Molly, who is a member of Mobility International USA’s board of directors, was excited to visit [...]

Gilman Scholar makes Youtube video on studying abroad with a disability

Gilman Scholar makes Youtube video on studying abroad with a disability 0

University of South Carolina student Staci Mills studied abroad in Stirling, Scotland, and was also a Gilman Scholar. Mills, who has a physical disability, put together a Youtube presentation called “Students with Disabilities Studying Abroad” as part of her Gilman follow-up service project once she returned to the United States. In this video, Mills talks [...]