ALFRED BOLL: Good morning, and good evening to our viewers from around the world. My name is Alfred Boll and I represent EducationUSA and the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Today is the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In honor of this day, our Facebook Live will discuss how
U.S. colleges and universities support students with disabilities. Our goal is to provide international students with
disabilities the information they need to find the right U.S. college or university in the United States.
There are 550 EducationUSA advisers at 435 centers in 180 countries and territories around the world,
offering free advising services to help you. If you have questions, please post them at any time during the
program in the comments section below and we will do our best to answer them. I am excited to introduce our speakers who collectively
have a lot to share with you. Joining us virtually is Tilly Griffiths. Tilly is an international student from the United Kingdom
and is currently a freshman at Stanford University in California. Tilly was born with a rare neuromuscular condition called
spinal muscular atrophy. She uses a wheelchair to get around and needs help for most
physical tasks, but that has not stopped her from pursuing her dreams of studying here in the U.S.
Thank you for joining us live from Stanford’s campus in California, Tilly.
In studio – welcome. In studio, Dr. Ana Palla-Kane is originally from Sao Paulo,
Brazil and came to the United States in 2001 as an international student.
She completed her PhD in education at the University of Virginia and works at the University of Maryland,
leading the campus IT Accessibility Initiative and the university’s President’s Commission on Disability Issues.
Also in our Washington studio is Ann Cody, who is a special advisor working on international
disability rights in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, here at the U.S. Department of State.
A three-time Paralympian, Ann brings her winning integrity to champion the Department’s efforts to combat discrimination
and abuse against persons with disabilities. Welcome Ann and welcome Ana. ANN CODY: Thank you.
Disability Rights and Higher Education
MR. BOLL: I want to start our discussion by talking about what systems are in place in the United States when it comes
to disability rights and higher education. Ann, what should students who may have disabilities and are
contemplating study in the United States know prior to coming here? MS. CODY: Thank you.
I’m so thrilled to be here with you, Fred. Prospective college students with disabilities coming
to the U.S. will find that many U.S. campuses are equipped with facilities, offices, and services
to address accessibility and accommodations for a diverse range of needs.
At the same time, students are ultimately responsible for requesting and designing the accommodations
they will need to succeed. Student disability services and disability coordinators at many
colleges work to make campuses inclusive environments, through specialized advocacy, support, and academic services.
And approximately 11% of college students in the U.S. have disabilities.
I just want to mention this morning as I’m going to talk about some U.S. laws and how they inform college campuses:
I am not trained as a lawyer and I cannot provide legal assistance or advice on particular situations.
However, I can provide some general information on the laws in the United States prohibiting discrimination in higher education.
MR. BOLL: That’s great. Thank you, Ann. And, yeah, it is important to point out that we’re not giving any kind of legal advice, but this is general perspectives and
approaches, and letting students know about the systems that exist here. MS. CODY: Correct. MR. BOLL: That’s fantastic. Thank you so much.
MS. CODY: Thank you. MR. BOLL: So it’s reassuring to know that college students with disabilities coming to the U.S.
will find campuses that are well-equipped with a wide range of support.
Can you tell us a little bit about some of the actual rules prohibiting discrimination in higher education
in relation to disabilities? MS. CODY: Sure. I would be happy to. There are two laws, in particular,
that address higher education. One is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Title II of the ADA, as it’s referred to, covers state-funded schools, such as universities,
community colleges, and vocational schools. And Title III of the ADA covers private colleges
and vocational schools. And the second act is the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
specifically Section 504 of the Act, where schools receiving federal dollars,
regardless of whether it is a private or public institution, is also covered by the regulations of Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act, requiring schools to make their programs accessible to qualified students with disabilities.
Another act that I want to talk about very briefly is the Air Carrier Access Act, because we know the majority of our
students – international students and many students who are traveling out of state – are going to fly on a U.S.
carrier or perhaps an international carrier coming into the U.S. The Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination in air
transportation by domestic and foreign carriers. Contact for questions pertaining to the air transportation
information, you can call the Department of Transportation
Aviation Consumer Protection Division for questions about air travel.
Also the website www.transportation.gov
can give you more information on access to air travel. MR. BOLL: That’s great. Thank you so much.
It’s good to know that there are those rules and systems that are in place. And students can investigate on their own if they’re interested
in specific details. But the information that, in fact, there are systems that persons with disabilities are
incorporated into the basics of how people – what access people
need is very important. Thank you very much. MS. CODY: Sure. MR. BOLL: So this is great information, and a lot to absorb.
I’m sure there are other websites that students can go to if they want to learn more.
MS. CODY: Yes, absolutely. U.S. laws that have the most impact on higher education, as I mentioned – the Rehabilitation Act of 1993 and
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 – have websites.
And one of the best websites that has the U.S. disability laws is www.ada.gov/cguide.pdf.
This guide provides general information on all of the acts in the U.S.
that address discrimination against persons with disabilities, such as telecommunications,
fair housing, air carriers, voting, and –
MR. BOLL: Lots and lots. MS. CODY: Yeah, all kind of information on anti-discrimination in education and architectural barriers
and all of those things. MR. BOLL: Okay. That’s incredible. MS. CODY: Great resource for the students. MR. BOLL: Thank you.
And we will post those – we will be able to post that information. Okay, with so much information out there,
Choosing the Right Program and University
how do international students with disabilities choose the right program and university for each individual?
Ana, can I start with you there? As a leader on accessibility issues on your campus at the
University of Maryland, what’s your perspective on this? DR. ANA PALLA-KANE: Great, so I’m glad to give you some perspective and some points to look at through this.
So, students with disabilities, they don’t need to do anything
different in order to apply or get accepted in the United States. And there’s no restrictions on the type of college and program that students can apply.
So they can really choose any program, as any other student. And, the admissions process is really the same
for all students. So, we definitely encourage all students with disabilities
to also look at the EducationUSA.state.gov website
with all the steps that are really needed to apply to come to the U.S.