MIUSA honors CIEE with Award of Excellence (11/12/02)
At the 2003 CIEE Conference, Mobility International USA awarded CIEE with its first annual Award of Excellence which recognizes us for our work promoting opportunities for students with disabilities. CIEE is dedicated to providing opportunities for students with disabilities.
Read more about CIEE efforts and articles from past participants here.
Below is the press release announcing the award.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Pamela Houston
(541) 343-1284 (v/tty)
(541) 343-6812 (fax)
Award of Excellence Presented to the Council on International Educational Exchange
International experience has become an increasingly important piece in personal, academic and professional development. Even so, some students remain widely underrepresented in the international opportunities that can provide them with these valuable experiences. This year for the first time, Mobility International USA (MIUSA) is recognizing an international exchange organization that has had a significant impact over the years in addressing outreach and inclusion of one of these underrepresented groups -- people with disabilities. MIUSA presents this newly established Award of Excellence to the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), an organization with a longstanding proactive practice of including people with disabilities in its international programs. CIEE’s accomplishments include:
- Working closely with disabled participants, resident directors and community andcampus disability organizations to ensure appropriate and effective accommodations.
- Supporting overseas program staff to assess sites for accessibility and disability-related resources in program communities.
- Conducting inservices and workshops with all US-based and overseas staff to ensure that everyone in the organization is prepared to work effectively with disabled participants.
- Portraying participants with disabilities on its website, in its publication and in informational materials.
- Sponsoring a disability-focused session or exhibit at each of its conferences.
Implementing innovative initiatives and collaborative strategies toward increasing the participation of people with disabilities through its active involvement on the Roundtable Consortium, an advisory board to the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange.
MIUSA salutes CIEE for its exemplary work toward full inclusion of people with disabilities in international exchange. The impact of its efforts reaches far beyond individual CIEE participants with disabilities. CIEE’s success has demonstrated that international exchange programs can effectively be inclusive and that people with disabilities bring valuable skills and perspective to exchange experiences.
For the past 21 years, MIUSA has been at the forefront of promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in international exchange and development programs by providing information, resources and technical assistance to the international exchange, development and disability communities. MIUSA, a US-based, non-profit organization, has conducted international exchanges, trainings and consultations with organizations from more than 80 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America.
For further information about Mobility International USA and its programs, including the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, visit its website at www.miusa.org. Or contact MIUSA at PO Box 10767, Eugene, OR 97440, (541) 343-1284 (V/TTY), (541) 343-6812 (fax), info@miusa.org