2021 agenda

Wednesday July 28

• 1:00pm - 1:30pm EDT | Opening Event: Symposium welcome and musical performance

• 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT | Session 1: Restarting Study Abroad with Disability Inclusion Post COVID-19

• 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT | Session 2: Get to Know the NCDE: An Introduction to the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE)

• Virtual Career Fair open

Thursday July 29

• 11:30am - 1:00pm EDT | Session 3: Anatomy of a MIUSA Exchange Program

• 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT | Session 4: Effective Outreach to People with Disabilities for International Exchange

• 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT | Disability at the Movies: "Planes, Trains and Canes," a travel series by Mona Minkara

Monday August 2

• 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT | Session 5: Exchange-Provider Panel: A Practice of Intention to Inclusion

• 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT | Disability Community Rooms, Block 1

  • (A) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

  • (B) Non-Apparent/Less Apparent Disabilities Community

Tuesday August 3

• 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT | Session 6: Alumni with Disabilities Reflect on Fulbright’s Global Impact

• 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT | Session 7: Disability and Identity Abroad

• 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT | Disability Community Rooms, Block 2

  • (A) Blind Community

  • (B) Physical and Mobility Disabilities Community

Wednesday August 4

• 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT | Session 8: What We’ve learned about Accessibility in Virtual Exchange Programs

• 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT | Session 9: Not Just Study Abroad: The Wide World of Experiential International Exchange

• 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT | Closing Event: Remarks, next steps, and musical performance

Detailed Agenda

Opening Event: Symposium welcome and musical performance

In addition to welcoming words from MIUSA staff and a special message from the U.S. Department of State, you'll enjoy a lively performance by Precious Perez, a classically trained pop/R&B and Latin vocalist and songwriter whose studies abroad in Valencia, Spain, influenced her latest musical project! This musical performance will include ASL Music interpretation.

• Susan Sygall, CEO and Co-Founder, Mobility International USA

• Monica Malhotra, Program Manager, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Matthew Lussenhop, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

• Precious Perez, alum, Berklee College of Music

Session 1: Restarting Study Abroad with Disability Inclusion Post COVID-19

As travel begins to open up, how will we enter back into education abroad with the lasting impact from the pandemic, including budget cuts and layoffs? We are already learning about the impact that budget cuts have had on access for students with disabilities. Join this discussion on how programs stay the course of support and inclusion for students with disabilities.

• Peggy Retka, Program Director of the Learning Abroad Center, University of Minnesota

• Becca AbuRakia-Einhorn, Manager of Education Abroad and International Fellowships, Gallaudet University

• Heilwig Jones, founder and Director, Kaya Responsible Travel

• Facilitator: Monica Malhotra, Program Manager, NCDE, Mobility International USA

Session 2: Get to Know the NCDE: An Introduction to the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE)

Come meet the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) team and learn about the many resources and services it provides for people with disabilities and professionals planning for an inclusive international exchange program.

• David Levin, Senior Program Manager and Diversity Coordinator, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

• Johileny Merán, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Monica Malhotra, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Ashley Holben, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Justin Harford, NCDE, Mobility International USA

Session 3: Anatomy of a MIUSA Exchange Program

Since 1981, MIUSA has pioneered short-term international exchange programs for youth, professionals and emerging leaders around the world to advance their leadership and share skills. What sets MIUSA's inbound and outbound exchange programs apart are their cross-disability focus and commitment to inclusion; a "typical" delegation may include participants with physical, mobility, psychosocial, sensory, intellectual, developmental and other types of disabilities. In this session, MIUSA staff will provide a "behind the scenes" look at the ways in which they design for access and inclusion in various aspects of exchange programs, from recruitment to staffing, from accessible housing and transportation to communication access and more. Which practices and guiding principles from disability-focused exchange programs can be applied to the broad range of international exchange programming?

• Cindy Lewis, Director of Programs, Mobility International USA

• Suz Dunn, Manager of Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability, Mobility International USA

• Lydia Shula, Program Manager, Mobility International USA

• Susan Sygall, CEO and Co-Founder, Mobility International USA

• Facilitator: Ashley Holben, NCDE Program Specialist, Mobility International USA

Session 4: Effective Outreach to People with Disabilities for International Exchange

So, you want more people with disabilities in your international exchange programs but they are not applying! What can you do to encourage more participation? Learn from a panel of disability organizations about effective ways to outreach to people with disabilities. From how to make your promotional materials accessible to utilizing your alumni network, panelists will share information about their own disability-focused programs and share strategies and best practices to increase the recruitment efforts of people with disabilities.

• Stephanie Woodward, Executive Director, Disability EmpowHer Network

• Christine Liao, Programs Manager, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

• Darrel Christenson, Vice President of Community Integration, Ability360

• Facilitator: Johileny Merán, NCDE Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA

Disability at the Movies: "Planes, Trains and Canes," a travel series by Mona Minkara

Pop your popcorn and get ready to follow Mona "the Blind Traveler" Minkara as she explores the world's most interesting places - from Tokyo to Johannesburg to Istanbul and beyond. This watch party will screen an episode of Planes, Trains and Canes, a YouTube travel series which Mona developed to combine her passion for adventure, her love for public transportation and her interest in accessibility. The screening will include captions and audio descriptions. Stick around afterwards to dish about the episode and share your own travel triumphs and mishaps. Visit the Planes, Trains and Canes YouTube Channel.

• Mona Minkara, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, Northeastern University

• Facilitator: Ashley Holben, NCDE Program Specialist, Mobility International USA

Session 5: Exchange-Provider Panel: A Practice of Intention to Inclusion

It can seem like supporting people with disabilities on international exchange programs takes a lot of time, work and resources. Though disability might involve a broad range of impairments and reasonable accommodations, practitioners can build their support infrastructure piece by piece rather than all at once. In order to show what that looks like in real life, a panel of practitioners from different institutions will discuss the evolution of disability inclusion at their organizations over the years, not all at once, but piece by piece.

• Erika Wang, Project Coordinator, Watson Foundation

• Teneisha Ellis, Doctorate Student of Psychology, Abertay University

• Laura Caloudas, Texas Global Senior Program Coordinator, University of Texas at Austin

• Facilitator: Justin Harford, NCDE Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA

Disability Community Rooms

While the Joining Hands symposium is largely cross-disability, the Disability Community Rooms offer an informal space for attendees to connect with peers who share similar disabilities, including those who identify as:

• Deaf or hard of hearing

• Having non-apparent or less-apparent disabilities (such as learning disabilities, chronic or mental health conditions, those on the autism spectrum)

• Blind or visually impaired

• Having physical or mobility disabilities

Facilitators with these disability identities will encourage discussion, inviting attendees with disabilities to share their experiences, questions, goals, achievements, and resources related to international exchange. While all Joining Hands attendees are welcome to attend any and all of the Disability Community Rooms, we encourage those without disabilities to simply listen, giving space to those with disabilities to actively participate.

• Deaf Community Room facilitators: Sachiko Flores and History Estill-Varner, Co-Executive Directors of Discovering Deaf Worlds

• Non-Apparent Disability facilitator: Monica Malhotra, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Blind Community Room facilitator: Justin Harford, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Physical Disability Room facilitator: Johileny Merán, NCDE, Mobility International USA

Session 6: Alumni with Disabilities Reflect on Fulbright’s Global Impact

As the Fulbright Program celebrates its 75th anniversary of fostering mutual understanding and advancing knowledge across communities, this session highlights the work and achievements of Fulbright Foreign Student alumni with diverse disabilities. Alumni from around the world will reflect on the continued impact that their Fulbright experiences in the United States had on shaping their disability rights advocacy and leadership in their home countries.

• Uyanga Erdenebold, 2007 Fulbright Alum from Mongolia

• Inocencio Zandamela, 2015 Fulbright Alum from Mozambique

• Adriana Pulido Camargo, 2011 Fulbright Alum from Colombia

• Pedro Castillo García, 2014 Fulbright Alum from Colombia

• Facilitator: Susan Sygall, CEO and Co-Founder, Mobility International USA

Session 7: Disability and Identity Abroad

We all experience identity in different ways, but going abroad often challenges us to explore identity in new and surprising ways. In anticipation of the upcoming edition of NCDE's A World Awaits You (AWAY) journal addressing intersectionality and exchange, a panel of international exchange alumni with disabilities and other diverse identities will reflect on their experiences abroad, touching on the dynamics and interplay of disability, nationality, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, cultural heritage, religion, and more. Their stories will demonstrate how international exchange can help us better understand our own identities and sense of community.

• Jaelyn Evans, student, Randolph College

• Kala Allen Omeiza, Oxford Business Review, Fulbright alum

• Hugo Trevino, Disability Resource Specialist at University of Illinois Chicago, MIUSA Alum

• Facilitator: Johileny Merán, NCDE Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA

Session 8: What We’ve learned about Accessibility in Virtual Exchange Programs

Last year one of the most viewed sessions was on Accessible Virtual Exchange Programs. We learned how exchange programs quickly shifted to a virtual space and how they learned along the way about access and inclusion for participants with disabilities. We shared what we knew then, but what have we learned now? Exchange staff share lessons learned from administering virtual exchange programs for the past year and what virtual exchange looks like for the future. Most staff have shared the impact of reaching a wider community through virtual platforms, so now how do we ensure this space remains open for all participants.

• Caleb Chapman, Communications Coordinator of Education Abroad, Texas A&M University

• Tim Fuchs, Operations Director at National Council on Independent Living,

• Molly Stern, Educational Innovation Manager, AFS Intercultural Programs

• Michelle Sawah, American Councils

• Facilitator: Johileny Merán, NCDE Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA

Session 9: Not Just Study Abroad: The Wide World of Experiential International Exchange

Overseas internships and volunteer programs are great ways to build professional and personal experiences to boost your resume, but they also offer opportunities to adjust to a foreign culture and become proficient in a foreign language. From Fulbright to Peace Corps, it is possible with a bit of planning, creativity and humor. Take this chance to meet and talk to a panel of professionals with disabilities who have made the world their oyster, so you can learn how to make it yours.

• Sara Lucia Giraldo Gavaria, alum, Community College Initiative Program and Youth Ambassadors Program

• Johna Wright, grantee, Fulbright Student Program

• Judy Jones, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer

• Doris Alcántara, grantee, Fulbright Student Program

• Facilitator: Justin Harford, NCDE Program Coordinator, Mobility International USA

Closing Event: Remarks, next steps, and musical performance

We'll conclude Joining Hands with a lively performance by Tony Memmel, a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and cultural ambassador for the U.S Department of State who has toured across 17 countries on the American Music Abroad program! This musical performance will have ASL Music interpretation.

• Monica Malhotra, Program Manager, NCDE, Mobility International USA

• Tony Memmel, musician and cultural ambassador, American Music Abroad