Study abroad now available to students with disabilities
 | | Sisters Sarah and Samantha Laux enjoyed Wright State's first ambassador program for both able-bodied and physically challenged students. |
Twelve Wright State students traveled to Switzerland this summer as part of the University Center for International Education’s (UCIE) first ambassador program specifically designed for both able-bodied and physically challenged students.
Led by sociology and anthropology instructor Gaetano Guzzo, Ph.D., and social work assistant professor Sarah Twill, Ph.D., the group included seven students whose physical disabilities created unique challenges in trip planning. Issues such as train rides, cobblestone streets, and older buildings without elevators had to be addressed for students who use wheelchairs. On top of this, students had to be able to transport their luggage.
“Logistical planning of this program for this group was a big effort, one that definitely paid off in the end,” said Tracy Kingsley, UCIE director of education abroad programs.
 | | Students spent 15 days traveling through Switzerland. |
“A major concern for me was my ability to continue my passion for travel and visiting friends and relatives overseas,” said Guzzo, who has been a paraplegic since 1992 and uses a wheelchair. “With some planning, flexibility, and open-mindedness, I discovered how doable travel could be even in a ‘chair.’ My idea for this trip was to open the world of travel to others who might have thought it was out of bounds or simply too much hassle.”
In the eight-credit course, which spanned both terms of summer quarter, students learned about the country in a traditional classroom setting; received personal aide training as well as basic instruction in German, French, and sign language; and traveled for 15 days in Switzerland.
The group experienced a variety of cultural immersion activities while in Switzerland. These included a train trip in the Alps, an alpine lake cruise aboard an old-fashioned steamship, and a visit to the Swiss parliament building. The students also had the opportunity to participate in Swiss National Day events.
 | | The group waits to board a train for a trip through the Swiss Alps. |
“My trip to Switzerland this summer was a learning experience beyond what any classroom can teach,” said Rebecca Baker, a senior social work major who has been paralyzed from the waist down for the past six years.
“When abroad, you are completely taken out of your element,” Baker said. “The time zone is different. Communication is different. Transportation and currency are different. These things make traveling abroad an adventure and a learning experience.”
This is just the beginning for such programs at Wright State. The UCIE plans to modify all study abroad programs to accommodate students with disabilities.
“Wright State is a national leader for students with disabilities and we believe that our study abroad program should become a national leader in this area, too,” said Kingsley. “Very, very few universities in the U.S. have programs like this one, and it is our goal to become the university with the most disabled students studying abroad.”
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