Episode 6: Monica Malhotra and Andrew Gordon on Making Study Abroad Accessible for All

Monica Malhotra is a Project Manager with the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange at Mobility International USA, which aims to increase participation of people with disabilities in inclusive international exchange programs. Previously, Monica worked for 10 years at The University of Texas at Austin, where she assisted with admission, immigration, disability support, student counseling, and sponsored student programs as the Senior International Student Coordinator for ESL Services and as International Student Advisor at the International Office. Her past experience includes serving four years on the board for the Multicultural Refugee Coalition and interning with the EastWest institute in New York. Monica earned her Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Arlington and her Master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Exeter, UK. In this episode, Monica and Andrew discuss how their organizations support a broad array of individuals, educational institutions, and for-profit, non-profit, and governmental entities committed to making study abroad more diverse, accessible, equitable, and inclusive.

Resources Mentioned

• National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange
• Mobility International USA
• Diversitynetwork.org (Professionals)
• Diversityabroad.com (Students)
• Diversity Abroad Access, Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity (AIDE) Roadmap
• Abroad360 International Education Virtual Advising
• Universal Design
• 10 Steps Toward a Universally designed Exchange Program

Great Quotes

"We know how phenomenal these opportunities are, we know the impact they have on young people.  How can we as professionals be more effective in our job so that we're serving all of our students in a way that they actually benefit from these opportunities the way we know they should?" (Andrew Gordon)

(On overcoming obstacles to study abroad) "With a lot of staff that run programs, we hear the need to have everything a hundred percent before including people of disabilities. So having that expectation to be one hundred percent, to have a red carpet ready to lay out, kind of prevents a lot of conversations in practices and steps from actually happening. There is nothing wrong with that intention to protect all students, but then also to be aware of how that's preventing the students' success." (Monica Malhotra)