Options for Accessing this Issue
- View this issue as a PDF (magazine-style spreads)
- View this issue as a PDF (individual pages)
- View this issue as a Word Document
- View this issue as a text file
- Read this issue in HTML – see Table of Contents below to navigate to each individual article online
Table of Contents
- Introduction from Susan Sygall, MIUSA Co-Founder and CEO (scroll down on this page)
- Message from Laurie Laird: Celebrating 30 Years of the NCDE (scroll down on this page)
- The Story of NCDE’s Beginnings
- The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange: Three Decades of Building Bridges, by David Levin
- A Champion for NCDE: Bob Persiko
- The Shifting Tides of Global Exchange
- The NCDE’s Lasting Legacy: Professionals Reflect on Best Practices
- A World of Possibilities: How a Global Leader Found Her Calling
- International Exchange Presents Opportunities to Uplift Others
- Reflections by Marca Bristo
- Collaborative Approaches in Education Abroad: Reflections Over 30 Years
- NCDE Milestones and Highlights
- NCDE’s Everyday Impact / Our Mission Matters
- NCDE’s Offerings and Roundtable Consortium
Introduction from Susan Sygall, MIUSA Co-Founder and CEO
It is with great pride that I write this message in celebration of the 30-year anniversary of MIUSA’s National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange.
I remember the joy I felt when I accepted a scholarship to spend a year in Australia as a Rotary Global Graduate Fellow, and as one of the first wheelchair riders to begin exploring the world of international exchange. Living in another country, studying in Australia, and later traveling by bus through Asia, was one of the most transformational years of my life.
Nonetheless, all through that experience, I couldn’t stop asking myself: where are all the disabled people? Why are we not becoming citizen diplomats at the same rate as non-disabled people? I made myself a promise: when I returned from my travels, I would create an organization to enable people with all types of disabilities, from all over the world, to have the same international opportunities as non-disabled people.
Returning to the U.S., I surveyed disabled people and study abroad professionals. I learned that, unlike their non-disabled peers, people with disabilities – youth, college students, professionals – did not even know that they could dream of international exchange. While other students were encouraged by parents, educators, or peers to apply for high school exchange programs, semesters abroad, international fellowships, language schools or global volunteer programs, disabled students had no idea that these could be their dreams, too. Meanwhile, most international exchange providers also did not know that studying, volunteering, and traveling abroad was possible for people with disabilities.
Without information, images, or role models, it was hard to imagine, for example, a quadriplegic Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, a blind exchange high school student in Bosnia, a Deaf Fulbright scholar in Italy, or two paraplegics strapping backpacks on their wheelchairs and traveling across Asia. And if they did dare to imagine, neither disabled people nor exchange professionals seemed to know how to make these scenarios a reality.
That is why Mobility International USA (MIUSA) was born. I co-created MIUSA with the explicit mission of empowering people with disabilities to participate in and lead international exchange. For more than a decade, MIUSA pioneered cross-disability exchange programs, produced tipsheets, shared success stories, and advised a growing number of international organizations who were seeking to expand participation of disabled participants.
As word grew, so did demand. It became clear that we needed to scale up, to create a central “clearinghouse”, where people with disabilities and international exchange providers could find information and services that would make international exchange accessible.
And then, I met Pat Wright, a renowned political strategist. Pat believed as much as I did in the power of disability leadership and international exchange. Together, we worked with leaders in Congress and the Department of State, and with their support launched the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE).
Thirty years later: MIUSA and the NCDE have profoundly changed the face of international exchange. Today, thousands of disabled people of all ages seek out every type of international exchange opportunity, and exchange programs today overwhelmingly embrace people with disabilities as an integral part of who they serve. And what a huge impact that has had in the world!
As you will read in this celebration of 30 years of impact and accomplishments, so many lives have been changed. International experience has trampolined U.S. people with disabilities to new heights, many of whom are leading respected organizations today. Alumni with disabilities from other countries, having experienced the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the U.S., have returned to change laws and policies in their own countries.
Sometimes, you can only truly imagine what is possible when you have had the opportunity to experience it. I know I would not be who I am if it weren’t for that transformational year in Australia.
And so, I would like to profoundly thank the countless people who have made the NCDE so successful: our friends for so many years in the U.S. State Department, especially David Levin and Bob Persiko, our colleagues in international exchange, and the many, many MIUSA alumni and other disability leaders working tirelessly in the United States and the world.
We hope all of you will join us in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the NCDE. We look forward to continuing our work with determination and joy, to ensure that all people can Challenge Themselves and Change the World ™ through international exchange.
Message from Laurie Laird, Former Program Manager of the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange
We are excited to bring you this special edition of the AWAY journal, celebrating 30 years of the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE). In these pages you’ll read about the many people who made this project possible, developed its valuable resources, and contributed their own motivating personal stories and insights. From the NCDE origin story to perspectives from international exchange professionals to spotlights on the NCDE’s impact, this issue is both reflective and forward looking at this critical juncture.
Since its founding, MIUSA’s core mission has been to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the transformational experiences of international exchange. MIUSA was a pioneer in conducting disability-led, international exchanges for people with and without disabilities, focused on disability rights. At the same time, MIUSA was laser-focused on educating both study abroad and exchange providers on how to make all of their programs accessible, and people with disabilities about how to tap into the immense range of opportunities for international exchange. Through this work, MIUSA amassed experience and a trove of unique resources on all things related to international travel for people with disabilities. As MIUSA’s knowledge and reputation grew, leaders in Washington, D.C. began recognizing the need to dedicate resources to expand access to people with disabilities, particularly in U.S. sponsored international exchange programs. As a result, MIUSA was selected to administer the NCDE when it was established through a Congressional appropriation in 1995. Thirty years later, NCDE offers a rich repository of experiences and learnings of individuals and organizations in the international exchange and disability rights communities, who share a passionate commitment to making true access a reality.
We are grateful for the enthusiasm of the hundreds of people who have played a role in this project over the years. Colleagues in international exchange and disability rights, individuals and organizations, have served as advisors on the NCDE Roundtable Consortium, shared personal travel stories and recommendations, connected disability and international education offices on college campuses, co-presented at conferences, formed disability interest groups within exchange professional associations, offered dedicated scholarships, and so much more. MIUSA has had the privilege to steward this multifaceted project as it has grown and adapted to meet the changing needs of the field and the world. What a ride it has been!
At this writing, in today’s changing funding landscape, the shape that the NCDE will take, moving forward, may look a bit different. But there is no doubt that MIUSA will carry on with the work that is at our core: ensuring that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to pursue all types of international exchange.
We hope you enjoy reading the stories in this AWAY journal and will join us in strengthening our collective mission.
Onward!
The information in this publication is provided for general informational purposes only.
References do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources.
Copyright © 2025 Mobility International USA. All rights reserved. This publication may be printed for educational purposes only.A World Awaits You (AWAY) is a publication of the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange. The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange 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. It is supported in its implementation by Mobility International USA.
Editor: Justin Harford