New Muslim World Initiative Focuses on Disability and Exchange Opportunities in the Middle East

By Cerise Roth-Vinson, Mobility International USA

The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE), a project of Mobility International USA and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is leading a special initiative this year to develop and expand its activities to promote increased awareness about the importance of involving people with disabilities in international exchange programs between predominantly Muslim countries and the United States.

The initiative focuses on networking with disability-led organizations in Muslim countries to encourage students and professionals with disabilities to apply for scholarships to study or do professional programs in the United States as well as training organizations administering the scholarships on how to successfully recruit and accommodate students and professionals with disabilities from Muslim countries in their international exchange programs to the United States.

Jordan and United Arab Emirates
To kick off this initiative, I conducted a two-week familiarization tour to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May 2005. With heightened attention focused on the Middle East, our goal was to ensure that people with disabilities are included in opportunities to study and live in the United States.

Through meetings with the Jordanian-American Commission for Educational Exchange (JACEE), AMIDEAST, U.S. Embassy and Council on International Education and Exchange (CIEE), I shared information about NCDE services, including ideas to foster more successful efforts to recruit Jordanian students with disabilities for the Fulbright, foreign language teaching, and study abroad programs. Jordan is widely recognized as a leader in the regional disability rights movement and I was encouraged by the inclusive work already being done by disability groups throughout the country.

Regional conference in Dubai
The journey continued with a week in Dubai, UAE, a bustling, ultra-modern, oasis on the Arabian Peninsula, where more than 90% of residents are originally from a country outside of the UAE. I participated in the Urban Children and Youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) conference sponsored by the World Bank and other international and regional leaders. The conference included a track specifically addressing issues of disadvantaged and at-risk youth with and without disabilities.

Youth leaders with disabilities from Yemen and Jordan spoke passionately about the importance of including students with disabilities in public schools and offering the same opportunities to disabled students as were offered to non-disabled students. Their pioneering efforts - ranging from establishing advocacy groups at their high schools to breaking down cultural stereotypes about people with disabilities in their community – represent the next generation of disability leaders in the Arab world.

Though the temperatures soared to more than 110 degrees F in the desert, the opportunity to conduct site visits and meetings with various disability and exchange organization leaders in the region motivated me to keep a full schedule. I met with the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Disability Office, Ms. Sheikha Hessa Al-Thani of Qatar, Dubai Women's College staff, and the Director General of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services. I also met with U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer, Peter Neisuler, to discuss the Embassy's recruitment and outreach efforts, including strategies that could be used to increase the number of applicants with disabilities. The U.S. Embassy functions as an information center for UAE citizens interested in opportunities in the U.S, and equipped with new information about disability resources and organizations, the Embassy staff is now ready to move forward with a disability inclusive message when conducting recruitment for U.S.-sponsored programs.

Youth with disabilities active
As a person who has lived and studied in the Middle East, studied Arabic in graduate school, and traveled in the region, I was impressed with the passionate message of youth with disabilities in both Jordan and the UAE, and especially their emphasis on including children with disabilities in public school classrooms early on. Equally exciting work is happening by disability organizations that are leveraging the Arab Decade for Disabled
People (2003 - 2012) to increase the role of public officials to promote disability rights, laws and accessibility.

 printer-friendly format