Each year, December 3rd marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities when we join with organizations and nations across the world to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and their inclusion in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. An estimated 1.3 billion people – about one in six people globally – live with disabilities, according to the World Health Organization. IIE has long prioritized its efforts to promote access to opportunity and education, particularly for underrepresented populations in international education.
IIE focuses both internally and externally on supporting equitable opportunities and education for persons with disabilities. We use years of experience to collect data and publish research and resources to support higher education institutions and international education professionals, as well as look inwardly to our global workspaces and team members.
The Research, Evaluation, and Learning (REL) department collects and analyzes data to support both international students in the U.S. and U.S. students studying abroad by publishing the 2022 Open Doors Special Report on International Students with Disabilities and annual Open Doors data on U.S. students with disabilities studying abroad. EducationUSA hosted a webinar on supporting students with disabilities and participated in the EdGE’s Inclusion Series podcast. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides disability resources on their website and IIE team members across our IIE-administered Fulbright programs are meeting and sharing regularly questions, challenges, opportunities, practices and resources to advance their support for exchange participants.
Within our organization, the IIE Accessibility & Inclusion Resource Working Group aims to support our work with participants as well as IIE team members through resource development and sharing, in tandem with the Dis/Ability & Accessibility Affinity Group, which makes space for IIE team members in a welcoming environment to discuss wide-ranging issues impacting disability, health, and accessibility within our workspace. In addition to the IIE Center for Access and Equity’s 2023 publications “Supporting First-Gen College Students in International Education Resource Guide” and “Models of Change: Equity and Inclusion in Action in International Education“, the Center recently introduced IDEAlogues in partnership with IIE’s DEIA Committee, a forum for IIE team members to discuss timely topics involving aspects of our work with the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and access, and kicked-off the series with the topic of supporting individuals with disabilities, with a brief presentation by an IIE team member sharing their topical project and its outcomes, followed by conversation and additional resource sharing.
In addition, IIE collaborates with partners to amplify their expertise and expand reach. One such partner is Mobility International USA (MIUSA), which we have engaged with for many years throughout our organizational and programmatic work. Recently in 2024, the IIENetwork membership team invited a MIUSA representative to inform members of the resources and opportunities available for professionals and students and continuously shares MIUSA’s information and announcements via the weekly Interactive newsletter. In addition, two IIE team members, Rusti O’Neal and Magda Ostrov, presented with a MIUSA colleague at the 2024 AHEAD Conference during their session “Inclusive International Education: Supporting International Students with Disabilities,” highlighting international students with disabilities as an underrepresented population and discussing best practices for supporting this group, both through programmatic delivery and as an effect of promoting inclusion within IIE.
Each year at IIE, our leadership and team members are eager to discover and implement new or enhanced ways to support and include persons with disabilities to take full advantage of the opportunities an international education provides and continuously improve our work environment and services.