How Studying Abroad Boosts Employability of Students with Disabilities

MIUSA,  http://www.miusa.org,  has played an important and singular role in widening awareness of and supporting opportunity for those with disabilities to participate in education abroad programs.

Guest Post by Michele Scheib

Mobility International USA

One of the disability community’s top priorities is how to improve employment outcomes.

People with disabilities complete college at a statistically significant lower rate than people without disabilities, and those who do complete college have a persistently lower rate of employment irrespective of the level of degree attainment (associate’s, bachelor’s, and higher).¹ University researchers, government agencies, and non-profit programs have used all types of approaches to reduce these inequalities. One strategy that holds promise is to tap into the power of study abroad.

Recent studies among study abroad alumni, though not specific to disability, have shown that study abroad increases retention and reduces time to graduation of postsecondary students (see: http://globaledresearch.com/study-abroad-impact.asp). …