Why Overseas Educations Matters?

The population of students studying abroad is diversifying rapidly—students with different ethnic
backgrounds, academic majors, age, socio-economic status, and students with disabilities are increasingly
seeking opportunities overseas. U.S. colleges and education departments are also frequently
incorporating education abroad opportunities into their major and minor requirements for students, and
this brings new and interested groups of students to the education abroad office for advising on
appropriate overseas options.
Education abroad advisers are seeing greater numbers of students with disabilities who are investigating
education abroad opportunities as part of their undergraduate educational experience. To provide equal
access to those students with disabilities, U.S. institutions often provide a wide range of support services
on their campuses. These include ramp access to buildings, extra time on tests or a private testing
environment, sign-language interpreters, converting print material into an electronic format, and
notetakers. Students’ needs vary, even if they have the same disability, and the specific needs may be
easy to make arrangements for or may require advanced planning. For education abroad, a particular
accommodation may not be possible, but other low- or no-cost accommodations may equally reduce the
barrier that the individual experiences.
According to Open Doors, more than 1,000 students with disabilities studied abroad in 2006-2007. Of these
students, half reported a learning disability, 25 percent reported a mental health condition, and the
remaining 25 percent were students with physical, sensory, or other disabilities
(http://www.miusa.org/newsitems/opendoorsdisabilitystats). To serve these diverse populations,
education abroad advisers need to encourage students to disclose their needs early and should have key
advising tools in place so that appropriate guidance and planning can take place before a student
embarks on a significant academic, personal, and cultural experience overseas.