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Global Sisterhood is Powerful!
International Opportunities for All Women and Girls
(CART Transcripts)SPEAKER: Lynnae Rutledge, Mobility International USA
CART services provided by Com Access, and the reporter today is Tammy Jaffe.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: We're going to get started, and as you were mentioning, we really are a nice small group, so I'll introduce myself and then if we could go around and we are having more people come, good. Welcome. That is okay.
I should know better than to get started. As I said, my name is Rene Ruttledge. And the session we're going to do tomorrow is around international exchange and really ex ploring your opportunities and your options around the international both exchange programs, leadership development programs, disability rights programs, to really enhance your employability. It has been one of the things that has been really important in my life I'll tell you a little bit about that.
Before we get started my photographer is -- Jean Shepherd, we're both from Oregon, I am actually representing Mobility International, and what I'd like to do is as we get started if we can start from here if you'll just introduce yourself and we'll do a little bit of an exercise, just tell me who you are, and just a little bit about why this session is interesting for you.
SPEAKER: I'm one of the interpreters, my name is MIACO.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Have you done any international travel?
THE INTERPRETER: Yes, I've traveled around Europe and South Pacific, and Mexico.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: And you.
SPEAKER: My name is Rene Champagne I'm interested in this workshop because I guess for disability rights issues.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Okay. All right.
SPEAKER: I'm Susan Burch I teach at Gallaudet University and I'm interested in this because I teach Russian history I'm moving to Prague next semester and really interested in international disability issues.
SPEAKER: My name is Maureen Veev. I teach at Gallaudet University, working on a project now looking at disability programs in the European union we have been going over the last few summers and interviewing leaders of disability groups in EU member states, and I'm interested in getting my students motivated to go overseas and do some study.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Terrific I have great resources to show share with you.
SPEAKER: My name is Jean shepherd I'm on the board of the Blanche Fisher Foundation based in Portland, Oregon, and offers grants on behalf of individuals with disabilities. I also have a specialty business in accessible web design and as such I did the site for both Blanche fisher foundation but also for disability funders network, which has a ZITS information getting grant makers to incorporate disability within their organization and without in terms of their grant making.
SPEAKER: And she is my own personal photographer, what can I say. She was threatening that she was going to come in and take images to put up on her website, and I'm going oh, sure, go right ahead, no problem. Could you introduce yourself.
SPEAKER: I am Lisa try, I work for the Washington civil rights and my interest is this past summer I worked with my friend ELIE Wolf to get the United Nations to include provision in their possible international treaty on disabilities on the right of individuals with disabilities to compete in sports and athletics.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Good. And you are our cart person. But could you introduce yourself.
SPEAKER: My name is Tammy Jaffe, I have been working with the deaf for two years.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: You are -- Step out of your role. I wouldn't actually ask you to do if you were interpreting for someone, but I like to do this for someone.
SPEAKER: I'm Michelle barns, born in Scotland, raised in the world, so I've been to a lot of places.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Excellent. EDINBURG.
SPEAKER: I was there this past summer.
THE INTERPRETER: You should tell me, all the aunts would love to see people.
SPEAKER: Next year.
SPEAKER: Quite seriously in light of this presentation I also was a piece corps volunteer in the central African republic and Hatian empire from 1976 to 78.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: People come to International Exchange for a variety of reasons. Back in 1988 I was working for Vocational Rehabilitation in Oregon, and I got this flier in the mail and it came from an organization called mobility international USA. How many of you have ever heard of that organization? (Indicating).
Okay, at that point in my life I never heard of them, and I opened up this flier and it said would you like to go to China? We're looking for people with disabilities, and inside my head I was KATING. People that are experienced and have a background in independent living and I went Kyacking. People with a background in vocational rehabilitation, I'm going this was made for me.
And people that like to travel and are open to new experiences and as I read that, I thought oh I'd never get a chance to be able to go to China. And
I went home and told my husband that I had a chance to go to China and his response was, well, of course you should do that. And it was because of then going to my employer to say I have a chance to go to China, I would be gone for about three weeks, can I have paid administrative leave to do that, I believe that what I would learn I would be able to bring back and really benefit our organization with, and they said, of course you should do that.
Well, I can't tell you that every employer in every family will be as responsive as my employer in my family was but at that point in my life it gave me a chance to be able to say I'm really valued. I am valued as a person with a disability. I'm valued because I bring a background in independent living. In vocational rehabilitation. A real interest in disability rights, a real interest in international exchange.
So I had a chance to go to China and spent three and-a-half weeks there. When I came back, I was like a converted person. I had had such a great time, and I'll tell you a little bit about that.
But within two years after that, I got another flier from mobility international, and this time, it was how would you like to go to Russia? And then after awhile it became this list of places that I had an opportunity to be able to go as a delegate on international exchanges. So since 1988, I have been to China, to Russia, to New Zealand and Australia, to Germany, to ZIMBABWAE. To USBEKESTAN, I spent time last year on an international fellowship just a month ago I was in Vienna Austria for the European association of international educators and talking about how do you include people with disabilities in their term abroad or their year abroad how did you really welcome students with disabilities who say I would like to come to your program for a year, or for a term, but here the are the accommodations I'm going to need and how do you work that out? Well my life has been extremely rich as a result. What
I have learned about other cultures, what I've learned about myself as a person with a disability, have been incredible. And I would really like our session today to really just talk about what is it that you can do to make those opportunities available to you? Mobility international is, um, a nonprofit organization based in Eugene, Oregon, that has as its mission, to really encourage people with disabilities to participate in international exchange programs so they can learn more about themselves, but also be able to share in the awareness with other people, with other cultures, with other communities.
About what it's like to be a person with a disability. Through Mobility International, and I've now been on the Board of Directors with Mobility for probably the last eight years, part of what we do is continue to look for program ideas of ways to really encourage people with disabilities to travel, to learn from each other, and to really welcome others from other countries into their homes. Part of what makes mobility international work is that we have always very small budgets. And when we include people with disabilities from other communities and other countries into the Eugene community, people stay in people's homes. We do home stays almost exclusively. We use public transportation, almost exclusively. We want people to experience what it's like to live and work and play in our community. And to us, that is what helps people understand how people with disabilities can be accommodated and how people with disabilities can really enjoy what we offer in our community. It is not to say that when they go home they think that is what is going to happen or to think when they go back to their home communities that everything is suddenly going to be accessible but what we do think about is how do you have people come together to share their ideas, share their experiences and then go home with new strategies. So tonight, what I'd like to do is first show a video that was done when we brought women from all over the world together, for what we call loud, proud and passionate, which is a women's international leadership program that really included everything you can possibly imagine to help people get a better understanding of their skills, their abilities, and their self-esteem. So women did ropes courses. They did recover rafting. They traveled independently, sometimes for the very first time in their lives on public transportation. They stayed in people's homes.
They did volunteer projects in the U.S. forest service. They had an opportunity to go to the Oregon coast. They had women's sessions where they talked about sexuality. They talked about their experiences in their own home communities. Of being a woman with a disability in their culture. And what they left with, was a sense of being a part of a greater community. And that has really been what international exchange is willing to offer. I provided you with several different things. A couple of brochures. One is called challenge yourself and change the world. It is a yellow brochure, I have it in large print, I have it in braille, I have it on video cassette, I mean we take it seriously when people say bring everything in alternate formats so if you have people you would like to take materials back to your own home community and you'd like it in alternate formats please go ahead and take them. In the yellow brochure it talks about our international development and disability program.
We work with women who are going back to developing countries, to talk about their role in helping to change the way their countries develop and be more disability aware, be more disability sensitive. To talk about economic em pour ment for women with disabilities. We've done sessions on microenterprise. We have done sessions on how to start small businesses so that when women go back to their communities they know who the funders are. People like the disability funders network. Folks from the World Bank, folks from the global funds for women, they come to our programs, to talk with women from other countries about how to fund their projects.
We have a series of books that we have developed, one is called world of options. We have on the loud, proud and passionate, you are going to see the video. We have it both in the short version and the long version. We have a training manual and a training video called building bridges. It is to help people in educational settings understand how to be able to include people with disabilities in both international exchange programs, and also educational programs. We do a newsletter called Over the Rainbow. We have, um, a series of videos. We have a website where you can download information. The information we have available to people you can get for free off of our website.
We are not in this to make money. We are in this to share information. So if you see something on one of our brochures and you are interested, go to our website first, most likely you're going to be able to download it. It is fast, and it also is real accessible. Um, I put the website up on the flip chart. It is WWW.MI USA.ORG, mobility international USA.organize, I also put the website of juice ee, which is Japan, U.S. community and education exchange. It is the organization that I did my five-week fellowship with last year when I went to Japan. So if you have an interest in Japanese culture, if you want to become involved in issues related to disability rights in Japan, going to the JUCEE website and looking at their exchange programs might be an option you want to eck floor. It -- explore. It provided me with an opportunity to spend five weeks working with disability activists in Japan around the development of a Japanese with disabilities act.
It was an incredible experience. I can't tell you how important international exchange is to me as an individual. It really helps define who I am NOW, as an individual, but it also helps create just amazing experiences. I don't know too many women with disabilities who can say in their resume I have been to ZIMBABWE, I have been to U.S. BEKISTAN, I spent five weeks in Japan. That is pretty good for a person brought up in a humble beginning in in Michigan, with a bachelor's degree in education I had amazing experiences it is because I want to look at whether the things that are available that really mean something to who I am, to what I can contribute. And international exchange has done that. So I really encourage you to take a look at the brochures. If there is any information that sounds interesting please either give us a call or go to our website. Um, I also provided you with another brochure that is in purple, and it is called prepare for your career, participate in an international exchange NOW. And it really is written from the perspective of if you are a person with a disability, you live some place in the United States, you are thinking you want to do something related to international exchange. How could you make that happen? How can you put the resources together, either through Social Security benefits, or through vocational rehabilitation, to make this a reality for you?
Um, this brochure and the services that we are able to offer through mobility related to this, came actually from the Social Security administration. They were committed to helping us work in partnership with them, to help people realize that there is ways to use your benefits, and be able to participate in international exchange.
That is what this brochure is for. Knowing that some individuals who have come to this session would want to look for organizations in other countries, with whom you might be able to communicate to talk about exchange opportunities, this is a list of women's international disability resources and it really gives you just kind of a sampling of organizations and publications that focus on women and girls with disabilities, outside of the United States.
Um, all of them have e-mail addresses, all of them have their mailing addresses and contact people's names. We maintain list serves of disability organizations worldwide, we maintain list serves of, um, students who are interested or currently participating in international exchange activities. So they can have a PEER to PEER support network if you are thinking of going to another country and your disability requires you have either materials in alternate format or some specific kind of accommodation and you want to know how someone else has done it, this is a really good way to be able to pose those questions and get creative solutions. There is also a PEER to PEER network for support advisors in universities, so that when they start to think about how will I accommodate a person with whatever disability it is, they can talk to their colleagues in other educational institutions to get ideas and to share strategies.
So we provide all this information to folks because we really think that the more people know about international exchange, the better the opportunity is going to be that you are going to use some of this. We sponsor women's exchange programs. We sponsor youth leadership development programs. We just got done bringing women from 25 different countries to Eugene this past month to spend two weeks in the United States. Meeting together, to talk about what is it that they can do in terms of making life better when they go back to their communities based on their own experiences, based on what they can learn from other women with disabilities. And it was a very successful program. What I'm going to show on the video is the same type program that we did several years ago, and I think you'll get a sense and a flavor of what international exchange can mean for folks. Before we go any further does anyone have any questions?
No? Okay, when we get done watching the video, what I am going to do is pose a couple questions to you. I am going to be asking you where have you traveled, as a person with a disability, and where would you like to travel?
And based on where you would like to travel, what is it you'd like to know about international exchange, to help make that possible? Either in terms of accommodations, or in terms of resources or in terms of just opportunities. And hopefully between all of us we'll be able to share some new ideas. I certainly don't have all of the ideas.
I have a few of them because I have done quite a bit of traveling, but I always figure that the people that come to these sessions have as many, if not more ideas than I do and I want you to have a chance to be able to share things like what do you mean you are going to EDINBORO, I was just in EDINBORO, you should have talked to my family that is the kind of thing you only get when you have that chance to have both that exchange and also that dialogue. So hopefully we'll have a chance to be able to do that. And NOW the fun part is that I do lots of very cool exchanges, right, so I have been to very esoteric places there is not a lot of people who have been to Usbekistan, and I get a chance to go to Vienna, Austria, and my comment to my husband was Vienna, you know everybody gets to go to Vienna. He goes Lynnae, not everybody gets to go to Vienna, I have never been to Vienna, you don't see me getting invited to go to Vienna, and I go okay, okay, I get it. Vienna was a beautiful, beautiful city to go to. I had not ever been to Vienna.
SPEAKER: It is beautiful.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: It is amazing I was on the campus of the University of Vienna. This is an institution that was established in 1365. We are talking incredible history. And as I was there and walking around, and walking on cobble stone streets it struck me how rich that background is. And how lucky I was to be able to go there. So I really won't say anything more about, oh, Vienna, everybody gets to go to Vienna, it was a tremendous experience to be able to do that. So welcome to both of you. I have materials for you.
Um, we have just been doing some brief conversation and I am going to show a video. Can you introduce yourselves.
SPEAKER: I am care line Jacobs I work at disability advocates in Oakland, we are a nonprofit law firm in California. I am mon kaw graph ee and I also work in Brooklyn, California.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Have either one of you do international exchange programs?
SPEAKER: No.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Would you like to?
SPEAKER: Yes.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: We'll watch a video and have more conversation. Again thank you for coming when I start the video I'll bring you some materials I handed out earlier.
SPEAKER: Thank you. Checking the scrolling.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: You probably don't want to watch the rest of that, but you could. The world has changed significantly since September 11th. And what we found is that as we have developed additional exchange programs, um, for the first year and-a-half, we had to go back to our funding sources and talk with them about the kinds of exchanges we had organized or planned to organize to see if they were still willing to partner with us. We really didn't know if we would continue to be able to get financial support to do the kind of programs we have been doing. We went to the DEWITT wallace foundation in New York.
They have been founding -- funding a youth leadership program we have done with young adults for the last several years. And we have been taking usually 16, 17, 18, 19-year-olds to Costa Rica and have been just a tremendously successful program. And when we went back to talk with them about continuing the program, they essentially said we don't think we want to do that. And rather than have us stop doing international exchange programs, especially for young adults, we worked with them to say what would work for you?
And NOW for the last two years we have been taking young adults to England and that has worked extremely well it gives first-time travelers a chance to be able to go to another country, to be able to have an international exchange opportunity. But it kind of lacks the PIZAZZ of some of the other programs we have done. But for us we really want to continue to have international exchange programs and we are going to do what we need to do to be able to make those opportunities happen. We were still able to bring 25 women from all over the world to Eugene last month. So we're still able to bring people into the country. But again, we still have a lot we end up doing with the department of state, and with both the United States and with other countries to make sure those exchange programs are done as successfully and safely as possible. So you just need to know that since September 11th, what we are seeing is a real change in what people believe could be possible, but we're still making opportunities available to folks because we really believe that the only way we are going to be able to succeed as women, as women with disabilities is by doing exchange programs. And we are not going to be able to continue the dialogue just by e-mail. We do a lot electronically but the power you get and the power you feel when you have that exchange, you can't replace. And so we're going to continue to have exchange programs.
So that is really my formal part of the presentation. I just would like to hear from folks what kind of international travel are you thinking about. What would you like to do? Where would you like to go? And then let's talk about what are some of the options to help you be able to do it. I really encourage you if you are interested in any of the programs that mobility international does, apply to be a part of one of their programs. Whether you apply as an interpreter, if you apply as a delegate, if you are interested in doing an internship with mobility international, if you want to just be able to be more a part of what is going on with international exchange, be in communication with us. Because we often know of other organizations that are looking for either staff or for interns.
We are often able to connect people who are interested in doing other kinds of travel activities. So please just think of those as some of the possibilities. I myself would like to go to vee et nawm, but I also want to go to CAMBODIA. I'm not sure when I am going to get a chance to be able to do that. But that is kind of next on my list of places I want to go. So let's start here where would you like to travel?
SPEAKER: I would like to go, um, to Africa is one of the places or south America. I would like to work on policy issues, if possible. Um, changing their laws, um, I love the work I did at the United Nations if I could do something along those terms, that would be great.
SPEAKER: Do you have a degree right now?
SPEAKER: Do I have -- I have, um, I'm a lawyer.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Oh, no, within of those dreaded lawyers. Okay. All right.
SPEAKER: So obviously I got a law degree.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Do you speak Spanish or other languages?
SPEAKER: A little bit of French. But I -- I -- I am not great.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Okay. All right. Some places to start, though. Okay. How about back here?
SPEAKER: Oh, this is funny, cuz I am also a lawyer. Another one. And.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Oh, no. It's okay.
SPEAKER: And I don't have a clear idea of what country I would like to go to but I'm also interested in at some point trying to work overseas and I practice disability rights law, and so I'm a new lawyer so I don't have a lot of expertise yet, but it would be great to take some of what I've learned and what I could, and go to another country and share that. And I'm also trying to improve by French and my Spanish.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Have you thought at all about the Peace Corps?
SPEAKER: I have a little. Yes.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: How about you?
SPEAKER: I'll be the third lawyer, MONICA and I work together. I love to travel, so I would love to go pretty much anywhere. And I would also like to live abroad.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Any country in particular that you'd like to go to?
SPEAKER: I have never been to any of the Latin American countries.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Okay. How about back here?
SPEAKER: Actually I have spent sometime abroad I did my Master's Degree at the University of LIMRICK. So I lived in Ireland for a year, and as a consequence, I made a lot of friends and a lot of connections so I travel to Europe quite frequently. I got hooked up with some deaf folks in SLOVINIA who actually had no organization at all and were in the process of starting an organization there for them. And I would like to travel to the east. I haven't been to China. I haven't been to VIET NAM and Cambodia. Those are areas that really interest me.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Have you found whenever we bring people together there is this misperception that all sign language is common? And it's not?
SPEAKER: They think it's universal always.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: How about in SLOVINIA were you able to learn their particular sign language?
SPEAKER: I've learned some of their signs, yes, but I am by no means fluent and truthfully there is a lot of oralism there and English is a second language and many of them speak English well. Write English well. It's an interesting experience, though. They really, I mean, I have had contact with this one deaf boy who has been totally isolated, the first time he ever had contact with other deaf people was when he came to visit Gallaudet and was interested in possibly coming to school there. And it was the first time he really interacted with other deaf people.
But, when I went to school in Ireland it was really the first time that this university had had to deal with somebody who was deaf, and what I needed and what equipment I needed and what facilities I needed. Um, and they actually were very cooperative. And two other deaf students from Gallaudet followed me into the program afterwards, because, you know, NOW they had contact there, and I think that is what it is all about. It is building those contacts. So now I have contacts there, and I have contacts in some other European countries and I'd like to continue to build those you contacts and I'd like my students to be a part of making those kinds of contacts.
SPEAKER: I'm Susan Burch, I'm from the history and government department at Gallaudet. I've lived abroad. I traveled abroad pretty extensively. You are all welcome to visit me in PRAGUE next semester.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: I would love to come to prog. Speck.
SPEAKER: I am just about to do a full bright foundation, going on a full bright, my understanding from other friendss with disability who got full brights, it has been a fantastic opportunity to study abroad and have assistance necessary to do it. It also also very good for people with families they hook you up with schools for your kids. I am teaching disability history at a CZECK university next semester. That is how full full bright is. I would offer that as something to look at if you are interested in having a support environment to make it happen.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: When I was in Japan. Go ahead. After you, Paula. I'm sorry, were you going to make a comment?
SPEAKER: No I was just coughing.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: When I was in Japan, one of the volunteers that spent the first couple of days with us, to just show us around toke ee yoe, to help us feel comfortable was a man who was there on a full bright, and the Fulbright program is, as you were saying, just a tremendous, tremendous opportunity for people to be able to have both the financial assistance but also just a part of that, um, entire program, really provides you with a great deal of support. Good thing to check out.
SPEAKER: Oh, me?
MS. RUTTLEDGE: The woman surrounded by attorneys.
SPEAKER: Um, I want to go to Ireland and Japan. I like Japanese animation, the comics and wrestling and -- what else do I want to do? And Italy.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: It ah lee, Italian food. Okay. Have you done any international travel?
SPEAKER: No, I haven't. Um, I have a tracheotomy, so I'm on a ventilator, and so I need to find resources on how to go, um, I'm only on a ventilator that I use, I need to know how to get it where I am going.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: I really recommend you contact mobility international.
SPEAKER: Really?
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Absolutely, and be very frank with them about your disability and ask them what they know about people with similar disabilities, who have traveled. And they will share with you, and they will get you contacted to other people who have been successful in doing that.
SPEAKER: Good. Thank you.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Do that. Don't allow your disability to stop you from exploring international travel. I really, I really believe it is possible to do it.
SPEAKER: I have traveled to western Europe. I'd like to go to eastern Europe, Asia. Um, my background is I have a Master's Degree in health care administration. I have been doing that 10 years, and I am actually applying for law school NOW. And would like to get into disability rights. So, um, I am not working right now, so it would be a good time for me to do something like this. Before I get involved in law school and that sort of thing. So I'm open to going anywhere.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Anywhere. Any time.
SPEAKER: Anywhere, any time. I'm just excited, the video seemed really neat. So --
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Good.
THE INTERPRETER: I don't know how to get involved. Sorry, again, I traveled a lot, my father was military, so I graduated high school in Korea, and lived there awhile. So for me, where to go. Maybe Europe again. I have been to a lot of places. I really want to go all over the U.S. A. I want to touch all the baseball fields in USA, if I could have USA that would be cool. But
I have done the long flights. I am looking forward to local drive, RV, kids in car, baseball cap on backwards, go.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: I think sometimes we don't realize how much of the United States there is, that we may not have seen or experienced. We have an incredibly huge country, with so much diversity in it, that many people have not yet explored.
And to think about when other people from other countries come, and they say, well, I want to go to Alaska, and I want to go to Hawaii, and I want to go to Texas, and I want to go to main, if you are a person who hasn't been to any of those places, maybe we're losing some of that opportunity that we should be taking advantage of.
Um, I think about how accessible Canada is to us, and how many people have never been to Montreal.
How many people have never understood the real essence of Quebec. And to think about the multi culturalism that has happened, to think about Vancouver, which, because of the changes in Hong Kong, have a tremendous in flux of people from Asian communities and it is NOW, again, just incredibly multi cultural so I would encourage you, it can be expensive to travel internationally. But there are also opportunities that are even much closer to home, that might also open some opportunities to you. Um, there is tremendously, um, active disability organizations in Canada, um, and throughout the United States.
I would just encourage you to think about those also. Um, I have materials that are in alternate formats. I would be more than happy, if people would like to take them, to share them with other people. Um, I have the long version of the video and I have a 13-minute of the video. Would anyone like one? (Indicating).
And Rene, I think you should have one, I really think that you should like, either have the long or the short one and I will get one for you. Okay. All right?
SPEAKER: Great.
SPEAKER: If you are willing to travel at times that are not the regular tourist times you can get some really cheap tickets. I flew in March, I flew to SLOVINIA and background trip for 250 dollars.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: That is incredible.
SPEAKER: From Dulles to Vienna, Vienna to LIVIANA, and back again, for 250 dollars, price line,.COM. It was os tree 81 air.
MS. RUTTLEDGE: What you have to realize is that there is -- there are tremendously inexpensive tickets and as you are saying you just have to decide that you are willing to go at not the peak tourist times. I live in Oregon, so when I start to think about going to other countries and they tell me things like well it is going to rain, I say, well, it rains all the time where I live. That is really no big deal, don't worry about that. You really just need to be open to the opportunities. So, um, again, thank you very much for coming to this session. Um, any further questions or comments? Rene.
SPEAKER: I have a couple of questions do you go as a group or do you go by yourself?
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Most of our exchange programs are with groups. What I have done, when I went to China, we did it with probably 20 individuals.
Um, I have also done very small exchanges where it was, um, three or four individuals. So it just depends on what the particular program is. We can share with you opportunities around, um, exchange programs that can be depending on what you are -- your interest is and depending what your comfort level is. Some folks want to travel with large groups. Some people feel far more comfortable with just a knew. And most times speaking another language is helpful, but it is not necessary. As you were saying most people in many other countries speak English. It kind of lets us off the hook which is almost too bad but I think that people find that even if you have a small amount of language skill, people appreciate that you try to speak some of their language. Um, we do a lot with language tapes, and helping people understand some basic phrases to be able to use, and that seems to be helpful.
SPEAKER: How long are the exchanges?
MS. RUTTLEDGE: Exchanges are usually anywhere from two to three weeks.
SPEAKER: How long does the process take before you, does it vary, um --
MS. RUTTLEDGE: It depends on the program. Usually if we know we are going to do an exchange program in the summer then we are doing applications usually in the winter and spring and then they make selections so people know at least six to eight weeks before the program that they have been accepted. And if we don't have a particular exchange program, that is being put together NOW, we are going to tell you about other programs you might want to consider. Other questions? Well hopefully this gets you excited about thinking of new opportunities, um, thank you very much for coming to our session. I couldn't believe when they told me I could do this one from I think I was scheduled from 9:15 until 11 and I said, you must have like a.m. and p.m. mixed up. You couldn't be saying I'd be doing this at p.m., and they said, oh, yes we're doing it in the evening. I went I'm not doing it that late in the evening. I really appreciate you came to our session. Thank you very much. (Applause).
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