Brazil Spring Semester Exchange

Application Deadline: October 13, 2006

Especially designed for BSC students with majors in Special Education or Communication Disorders

Benefits of participation:

Put study abroad on your resume
Learn how to work with assistive technology for use with people with disabilities
Improve your Portuguese language skills
Pay tuition/fees to BSC. Most travel and housing costs are paid by a special FIPSE grant.

Highlights:

Two-week summer language preparation program in the USA
Study at the Universidade Tuiuti do Parana in Brazil for the spring 2006 semester
Great for Portuguese speakers and students interested in learning Portuguese

Academic Requirements

To be eligible for this program, Bridgewater State College students must have:

Good status at BSC majoring in Special Education or Communication Disorders
A commitment to learn Portuguese prior to traveling to Brazil, including participation in the language training session of this program in the USA
Interest in disability issues and in assistive technology
Ability to pay BSC tuition/fees, maintain health insurance coverage and pay some other expenses. The FIPSE grant covers most of your travel and housing costs.

Program Description

Title: “Promoting the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Society Through Assistive Technology: Culturally Appropriate Solutions”

Partners: Bridgewater State College, MA (USA); Temple University, PA (USA);
Universidade Federal da Bahia, BA (Brazil); Universidade Tuiuti do Parana, PR (Brazil)
BSC students will go to Universitade Tuiuti do Parana (UTP) and select from a list of approved courses. Students will take courses such as “Ethnic and Cultural Diversity,” “New and Contemporary Topics in Assistive Technology,” “Collaborative Studies in Assistive Technology,” “Introduction to Special Education,” and other courses selected to fit into the student’s curriculum. All courses will transfer back to BSC.

Subject Areas: Special Education, Communication Disorders, Assistive Technology, Education

Abstract: On a daily basis, people with disabilities face numerous barriers that prevent them from participating in and contributing more fully to activities in their home, school and work environments, and their communities. Technology has enormous potential to eliminate such barriers. When technology supports are present at an early stage, persons with disabilities are better able to develop functional skills that enhance their opportunities for inclusion in everyday community life.

The proposed interdisciplinary program seeks to train advanced undergraduates, mostly juniors and seniors, majoring in school-related disciplines (e.g. speech communication, special education, physical education, recreational therapy, occupational therapy, and educational technology) in the development of culturally sensitive approaches to utilizing assistive technology. The participating institutions have recognized expertise in teaching, research and services related to the major content areas of the proposed program. Thus, they are able to generate unique collaborations at both the academic and administrative levels.

Through a combination of academic activities and fieldwork, participants will learn to use and adapt high-tech and low-tech devices, in accordance to the varying functioning needs, socio-economic status, and cultural environments of persons with disabilities in the U.S. and in Brazil. As a result of this project, both countries will benefit from a cadre of professionals who are knowledgeable about a wide range of assistive technology and capable of generating interdisciplinary solutions to culturally specific problems in the education of persons with disabilities. Graduates of this program will be able to promote institutional changes and affect policy making, ultimately having an impact on the number of persons with disabilities who receive appropriate educational supports and move forward to full participation in their respective societies.

For information about the program and Brazil:
Dr. Lidia Silveira
221 Hart Hall, Department of Special Education
and Communication Disorders,
Bridgewater State College
508-531-2021, Lsilveira@bridgew.edu

For applications and travel information:
Dr. Julia Davis
International Programs
Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater, MA 02325
508-531-6183

Download an application here!!!

Promoting the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Society Through Assistive Technology: Culturally Appropriate Solutions