Last December, International Programs and Partnerships (IPP) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business hosted the International Education and Disability Services Strategy Summit on Rocky Top. Funded with the Campus Collaboration Initiative Grant from the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE), the event focused on the intersectionality of study abroad and student disability services, specifically how different university offices can collaborate to best support students of all abilities who wish to study abroad.
Summit Features
Faculty and staff from across the university participated in the event, including representatives from Haslam IPP, UT’s Programs Abroad office, the UT Institute of Agriculture’s Study Abroad and the university’s Student Disability Services. The summit included a presentation on the experience for students with disabilities studying abroad and an overview of legal considerations in the administration of international education, large and small group discussions on immediate questions and challenges related to enhancing study abroad options for students with disabilities, processes that can be used to address these issues and related topics.
Rachel Gatsche, the IPP program manager, felt this initial conference met its three main objectives: deepening understanding of the cross-section between student disability services and study abroad; forging stronger connections between intercampus service offices; and sharing ideas for increasing exposure to study abroad options for students with disabilities.
“This summit provided an opportunity for everyone to come together to discuss best practices and to dive deeper into the nuanced challenges each office faces,” she said. “We took away a deepened understanding of how we can lean on one another to provide a well-rounded support system to any student who wishes to study abroad.”
David Ndiaye, director of Student Disability Services, said his department was thrilled to support this initiative to explore pathways for all students, including those with disabilities, to have equitable access to transformative experiences such as international education.
“The discussion and brainstorming sessions generated an action plan that will provide better support for students, empowering them to thrive in a global and competitive professional environment,” he explained.
Summit Outcomes
The summit concluded with several deliverables to better service students with disabilities who are considering studying abroad. These will include updating website information, creating informative printed flyers and digital signage, updating information in study abroad workshops and developing more ways to raise awareness of study abroad accessibility for students with disabilities.
Sara Easler, assistant dean of IPP, called the meeting a promising boost for ongoing efforts toward inclusivity in study abroad for all UTK students.
“Study abroad should be accessible to all students who are interested in pursuing it,” Easler said. “This new initiative will enhance our ability to work in tandem with our campus partners to increase the reach of our services and to better support our students with disabilities.”
About the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange
NCDE is a project of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, designed to increase the participation of people with disabilities in international exchange between the United States and other countries, and is supported in its implementation by Mobility International USA.
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CONTACT:
Scott McNutt, business writer/publicist, rmcnutt4@utk.edu
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