Tailor Dortona - g-MEO

American University Student Tailor Dortona
Internship Experience
“My trip to China has changed my entire life plan and I am so grateful to have been given the
opportunity to study with g-MEO at Sichuan University.” – Tailor Dortona
September 24th, 2015 – Tailor Dortona, a student of the Spring 2015 semester at the
g-MEO Chengdu American Center for Study Abroad, distinguished herself not only in her
studies but also the internship program for which she participated during her stay in
Chengdu. It was always Tailor’s dream to study in China; in the beginning of 2015 with
the help of g-MEO, she was offered a Chengdu Government Scholarship, Sichuan
University Scholarship, and Wufu Chen Scholarship, making her dream become reality.
Tailor at Sichuan University Huaxi Campus
Tailor is currently a senior at American University majoring in Justice, Law, &
Criminology and creating a minor in Disability Studies. Tailor’s areas of study include the
international disability rights movement, special education, and disability employment
policy. In past years, she has interned for 2gether-International, the U.S. Department of
Education's Civil Rights Division, and worked as an Equal Employment Specialist at the
U.S. Department of the Navy's Office of Civilian Human Resources. After graduation,
Tailor plans to continue her studies and earn a masters or PhD while working on diversity
talent acquisition and employment policy in the private sector. Ultimately, she hopes to
be employed as a Chief Diversity Officer or Disability Program Manager and serve the
International Council on Disabilities.
In preparation for the semester, g-MEO and the Chengdu American Center learned about
Tailor’s desire to research the education and employment of persons with disabilities in
32 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 785-0812 – Fax: (212) 785-0813 – [email protected] – www.gmeochina.com
China. Consequently, the International Public Welfare Internship Project was established
by the Chengdu Season Disabled Community Development Center, the Disabled Persons
Professional Training Center of Chengdu, the Chengdu American Center for Study Abroad
(g-MEO), the Sichuan University Graduate Student Union. Tailor also participated in a
complementary research internship at the Sichuan Academy of Social Science under the
guidance of Liling, the Director of its Sociology Institute. By the end of the three-month
program, Tailor told us she appreciated her internship experiences and gained a better
understanding of the overall view of the education, life and employment of persons with
disabilities in Chengdu and China.
Group photo of International Internship Program (from left): Director Fan Xiong from the Chengdu Haiyuan Disabled
Community Development Center, SCU intern Holly, g-MEO student Tailor, Director Fan Ge.
Tailor visiting the Chengdu Disable Persons Professional Training Center.
Introduced by Jingyu Wang, Director of the Chengdu American Center, Tailor and Holly
(the volunteer intern from the Sichuan University Graduate Student Union) had their first
meeting with Xiong Fan, Director of the Chengdu Season Disabled Community
32 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 785-0812 – Fax: (212) 785-0813 – [email protected] – www.gmeochina.com
Development Center. They toured around the Sunshine Family and Shelter Factory and
took group photos with some of the students. Tailor later visited the Disabled Persons
Federation of Chenghua District and “Aihui’ Autism Rehabilitation Center. There, she was
able to speak with teachers, volunteers, and parents of students with autism spectrum
disorders and to observe various classes.
Visiting the Disabled Persons Federation of Chenghua District and the Chengdu College of Special Education of Chenghua.
In the following week, Tailor paid a visit to Qiangfei, a 21-year-old boy with cerebral palsy.
With the help of Holly acting as an interpreter, Tailor had a conversation with Qiangfei
and learned that he could read more than one hundred characters, which is incredible,
considering that he had never attended school. Tailor was also amazed by the dedication
of Qiangfei’s father who worked nonstop and even built wheelchairs for his son using
materials found around the city. Qiangfei did not have many visitors to his home and
expressed his sincere appreciation for their visit.
Tailor and Holly visiting Qiangfei’s family.
32 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 785-0812 – Fax: (212) 785-0813 – [email protected] – www.gmeochina.com
Tailor’s internship program ended with a profoundly impactful visit to the Chengdu
Special Education School. Established in 1922,
the Chengdu Special Education School is the
largest comprehensive special education
school in Sichuan Province with a long
history and strong teaching staff. During the
visit, Tailor was fortunate to meet a group of
blind students in their physics class. These
students were incredibly brilliant and Tailor
was happy to see that all of their materials
were being translated into braille so that they
could take full advantage of the curriculum.
Tailor talking to children in sign language.
After that, the group arrived at the place where
blind students learned about the art of massage, and
Tailor was confused why blind people learned this
skill, which she thought should be a doctor’s
specialty. Teacher Yan explained to her that most of
the blind people in China are masseuses, because
they are so limited for employment. “The situation
is totally different in America, where blind people
can do whatever they want, like being a lawyer or a
teacher”, Tailor replied.
At the end the internship program, Tailor told us
that she appreciated all of the experiences made
Tailor saying hello to a student.
possible by her participation in these internship
programs. She gained a better understanding of the day-to-day lives of persons with
disabilities living in Chengdu and with this knowledge, Tailor hopes to help enact
systemic changes which can improve the quality of life and guarantee equal opportunity
for persons of all abilities.
32 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 785-0812 – Fax: (212) 785-0813 – [email protected] – www.gmeochina.com
A Letter from Tailor Dortona
Dear Sherry, Amanda, and Estella,
This is the highlights of my work since returning from China...
Since my return to the United States, I have done many things with the disability community... I was
also able to visit the Kennedy Center for the 25th anniversary celebration of the passing of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) this summer. At this event I met a few people who work at
the U.S. State Department, all of whom wanted to know more about my adventures in China...
I've been very busy helping g-MEO to recruit new students to the program. Students are always very
happy to hear about the Chengdu Mayor's Scholarship and the opportunity to intern for academic
credit! I also filmed a short video to promote studying abroad for the President of American
University's new campaign. In the video, I advise new students to consider doing their internship
abroad and tell them that I did my internship in China. The link to this video is below (I am #8):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HDbGv5VkkfQ
Before I came to China, I interviewed with the 100K Strong Foundation and they decided to film me
living in Chengdu for their new campaign called "Find Your China." A Chinese film crew visited me
in Chengdu and we traveled all around the city together. They recently released the video and it has
already gotten a lot of views! The link to this video is below:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLqWLnK_-lfqAKfVUtK7-r4aqQjF7CrkYC&params=OAFIAVgD&
v=3OqN6PslAqo&mode=NORMAL
I am now an Ambassador for the 100K Strong Foundation and as such, I was invited to attend a
cocktail reception and dinner at the White House Historic Society to hear The Deputy Secretary of
State speak about US China relations and President Xi's arrival to the country. After Secretary
Blinken spoke, I was able to speak with him about my trip to China. I told him about my work with
the disability population at my internship and my desire to work for the U.S. State Department...
Secretary Blinken's wife, Evan Ryan, is the Assistant Secretary of State Department's for
Educational and Cultural Affairs and he promise to introduce me to her in the near future to talk
about my trip to China and my career goals.
I will also be giving a presentation at the Public Anthropology Conference (PAC) in Washington, DC
in October. The presentation will discuss my experiences in the city of Chengdu, specifically my
32 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 785-0812 – Fax: (212) 785-0813 – [email protected] – www.gmeochina.com
interactions with the disabled population. Professionals and students from around the country will
be present at this conference.
Now I am on a plane to Austin, Texas to attend the U.S. Business Leadership Network's (USBLN)
annual conference. This organization helps American companies to measure how accessible and
accommodating they are for employees and customers with disabilities. I am in the USBLN's Career
Link Mentor program and will be speaking at the conference in front of more than 700 people to
tell them about myself, including my recent trip to Chengdu, and my career goals...
My trip to China has changed my entire life plan and I am so grateful to have been given the
opportunity to study with g-meo at Sichuan University.
Sincerely,
Tailor Dortona
2015-09-26
32 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 785-0812 – Fax: (212) 785-0813 – [email protected] – www.gmeochina.com