Safety Preparation for Education Abroad Students, Advisers and Campuses Abroad

1. Safety Preparation for Education Abroad Students, Advisers and Campuses Abroad Joseph Brockington, Associate Provost for International Programs, Kalamazoo College, brocking@kzoo.edu Adam Rubin, Senior Program Director, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Middle East CIEE International Study Programs, arubin@ciee.org John Schafer, NYA International: Crisis Prevention and Response, findschafe@gmail.com

2. Topics for Today • Recognize relationships between safety preparation and risk management in education abroad programming. • Identify the risks in education abroad programming that can be managed with appropriate safety preparation. • Identify resources for safety preparation available to education abroad professionals

3. Introduction • Safety Preparation in Education Abroad is connected to Risk Management • Safety in Education Abroad begins long before the program start date with careful planning and training • The Safety Preparation Process begins with Risk Assessment

4. Principles for Safety Preparation in Education Abroad Programming 1: On-Site Issues • Including risk assessment during the program development process • On-going risk management strategies abroad (i.e. annual contingency planning, staff training, etc.). 

5. Predeparture Safety Preparation • Risk assessment • a step in a risk management procedure • is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat (also called hazard). • Crisis Management • a step in a Risk Management plan/procedure.

6. Risk Assessment Matrix

7. Risk Management • After you assess for risk. How will you manage? • Ignore • Remove • Educate (staff, administrators, participants, procedures, e.g. crisis management plans/procedures) • Insure • Transfer (waivers/releases, participation agreements, informed consent, etc.) • Budget

8. Risk Management Strategies • Train staff • Student orientations • Student handbooks • Develop procedures/Emergency Plans

9. Travel Safety Strategies The four pillars of of travel safety 1) Risk assessment,   2) Risk awareness, 3) Tracking of students and staff 4) Incident response and reporting (utilize the fist Risk Assessment and crisis response plan as the foundation)(Schafer and Rhodes)

10. Crisis Management Strategies • Crisis: Emergency for which there is no plan • Who to involve in Planning • Education Abroad staff • University Leadership • Lawyers/Risk Management • Faculty • Insurance/logistical providers (how will you work with them?)

11. Principles for Safety Preparation in Education Abroad Programming 2: Predeparture Issues: • Screening students carefully during the program selection/pre-departure phase.   • Talking much more with study abroad advisors about the need to apply stricter screening measures for students who have selected a high-risk study abroad destination:  • Working with faculty leaders on safety preparation and student screening issues. • Safety Preparation, Risk Management, and ADA in student screening

12. Screening: Take time now to Reduce problems later • “Well, he met the required GPA…” • “We are too busy to talk with all of the students…” • Destination and program-based screening • Develop a “Screening Network” • Look and listen for “Red Flags”

13. Pre-Departure • Orientation (students, faculty leaders) • Health and Mental Health Follow-Up, Support, and Training • Legal Issues • Due Diligence • Saying “No,” “Not Now,” or “Not There” NOT NOW! NOT THERE! NO!

14. ADA and Student Screening • Discrimination: ADA/Section 504 • ADA: Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, public service, public accommodations, telecommunications, and transportation. • 504: Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the administration of programs of colleges that receive federal funds.

15. ADA/504 & Education Abroad Definition: A disability is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” of an individual; and the definition of impairment includes “contagious diseases, learning disabilities, HIV (whether symptomatic or asymptomatic), drug addiction, and alcoholism.”

16. ADA/504 & Education Abroad “The ADA specifies ten areas in which colleges and universities may not discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability:

17. ADA/504 & Education Abroad • eligibility criteria; • modifications of policies, practices, and procedures; • auxiliary aids and services; • examinations and courses; • removal of barriers in existing facilities; • alternatives to barriers in existing facilities; • personal devices and services; • assistive technologies; • seating in assembly areas; and • transportation services.

18. ADA/504 & Education Abroad • A central provision of ADA and Section 504 prohibits discriminating against otherwise-qualified disabled students in admissions decisions. • An “otherwise qualified” individual is one who is qualified in spite of (rather than except for) the disability.

19. ADA/504 & Education Abroad • In the workplace, “otherwise qualified” is often taken to mean that the disabled individual is able to perform the “essential function” of the position. • Some universities have carried this over to define an otherwise-qualified student as one who is able to perform the essential function of a student. • Colleges are not required to admit disabled students if to do so would require a substantial modification of standards or fundamental alterations in the nature of the program, although they may be required to make reasonable accommodation.

20. The Americans are Coming!Foreign Universities and Expectations • Managing expectations of U.S. students • Staff and 24/7 Support • Health and Mental Health Resources • Security • Communication + Emergency Response • Cost of meeting expectations

21. Resources available for use in Safety Preparation for Education Abroad Programming • Health and Safety Subcommittee of NAFSA’s Education Abroad Knowledge Community • OSAC • SAFTI Website • “NGO Security Risk Assessment Guidance” • Forum on Education Abroad (membership required)

22. Discussion https://reason.kzoo.edu/cip/joe/

23. Resources • John Schafer, “NGO Security Risk Assessment Guidance,” http://sites.google.com/site/ngoriskassessment/my-forms • Health and Safety Subcommittee of NAFSA’s Education Abroad Knowledge Community http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/managing_an_education/document_library_31/nafsa_leaders/leaders_2006_health/ • OSAC www.osac.gov • SAFTI Website globaled.us/safeti/ • Forum on Education Abroad (if your Institution is a member) http://www.forumea.org/HealthSafetyandSecurity.cfm

24. Crisis Management Resources • DebrorahAjango, (2000) Ed. Lessons Learned: A Guide to Accident Prevention and Crisis Response. Anchorage: University of Alaska • NAFSA EA KC H&S Subcommittee & Resources: http://nafsa.org/resourcelibrary/default.aspx?id=8764 • J. Brockington (2006) “Effective Crisis Management” International Educator Jul/Aug. pp 47-52. http://www.nafsa.org/_/file/_/ed_abroad_effective_crisis.pdf • C. Filson (2010) “Abroad By Design” http://www.nafsa.org/interactive/core/orders/product.aspx?catid=3&prodid=221

25. Resources • “Handbook for Hosting” (2006) Academy for Educational Development http://cap.aed.org/HandbookFlier%5B1%5D.pdf (flyer) or http://studyabroad.isp.msu.edu/safety/presentations/EdAbroad1110excerpt.pdf (table of contents). Order book from AED Tel. (202) 884-8986