Palestinian Jenan Barghouthi worked hard to reconstruct her life and get back to work in the West Bank city of Ramallah following a spinal cord injury in 1999. For five years, she experienced the daily frustrations of living and working in an environment that makes little provision for people who use wheelchairs.

She became active in efforts to raise awareness of disability issues in her society and, in 2005, accepted an opportunity to come to the University of Pittsburgh to pursue a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling.

But even with the degree she will complete next month, Ms. Barghouthi, 41, says she cannot put her knowledge to use in Ramallah or any Palestinian city because the physical environment remains inaccessible, attitudes toward people with disabilities are limiting and the political situation is unstable.

Consequently, she has been seeking a job in the United States in the hope of remaining in the country beyond the term of her student visa, which expires in September.

Upon arriving at Pitt three years ago, Ms. Barghouthi intended to return to Ramallah, a city of 57,000 people, to improve conditions for others with disabilities, and she still hopes to do so at some point in the future. But for now, she says, the landscape is so unfriendly to people with disabilities that she would not be able to live with any degree of independence, much less work.

"I would like to go back to change the situation, but I find that even I would be disempowered," she said. "Access has not improved; it has gotten worse."

Three years of living in Pittsburgh has shown her what it means to live in an environment that is generally accessible, even with its older buildings and infrastructure.

"Not that it's easy for anyone to live with a disability, but here in the U.S. it is at least possible," she said. "In Pittsburgh, I discovered the meaning of independence and ability to function. I learned to be a productive, self-determined and free person, and realized that I can rely on myself instead of others."

Ms. Barghouthi's injury resulted from a car accident. Three years prior to her injury, she earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and art from Birzeit University in Ramallah, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem in the central West Bank. Following graduation, she worked as a research assistant at the university. She remained in her job following her accident but without any accommodations or supports.

In her home village, Kobar, and in the city of Ramallah, she could not get anywhere without being carried, she said. "People were nice and sympathetic, but didn't understand accommodations."

Getting to work each day was challenging. Her brother would drive her from their village to her job in the city, which included passing through checkpoints. When she hired someone to provide personal support or used taxis, it ate up most of her salary.

"After all these years of war, there are few opportunities or resources for disabled people," she explained. "The current situation in Palestine is getting worse by the day on a political, economic and social level. Daily living is hard for everyone. For people with disabilities, it is much harder."

When Ms. Barghouthi arrived in Pittsburgh on a Ford Foundation International Fellowship to study at Pitt, those who met her at the airport immediately recognized that she did not have the typical supports for a person with a spinal cord injury, said Don Angelone, faculty member in the Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology Department.

Program staff and fellow students quickly obtained a power wheelchair on loan and found an accessible apartment. Having to master a new set of practical living skills in addition to academic demands was a challenge for Ms. Barghouthi, but before long, she was taking PAT buses everywhere and living the life of a graduate student.

About 20 percent of the students in Pitt's graduate programs in Rehabilitation Science and Technology are international, and several of them have disabilities, said Mr. Angelone.

"This makes our program unique," he said. "Many of our graduates return to their home countries to build services and maintain a collaboration with us."

The program also provides opportunities for students to participate in rehabilitation projects in other countries, he said. In recent months, students have had internships in India, Spain and New Zealand. "We train our students to be agents of change wherever they go."

Ms. Barghouthi and other international students in the program highlight the wide differences among nations in regard to quality of life for people with disabilities.

Katherine Seelman, associate dean for disability programs at Pitt's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said she understands Ms. Barghouthi's dilemma not only from a personal standpoint but as one of a nine-member international committee guiding the development of the World Report on Disability and Rehabilitation, which will be released in 2009 by the World Health Organization.

"Palestine is an underdeveloped, war-torn area. I have no doubt that there's not much there in terms of physical accessibility," Dr. Seelman said.

"Jenan overcame a lot to do what she has done, and we're very proud of her. She has a lot of good skills."

Ms. Barghouthi is seeking a job in rehabilitation counseling or a disability-related position in any location in the United States. In addition to her academic credentials, she speaks fluent English and Arabic, and reads Braille. Her areas of expertise are vocational rehabilitation, independent living, international issues and women's concerns.

Pittsburgh immigration attorney Valerie May said the conversion of Ms. Barghouthi's training visa -- called a J1 -- to another type that would permit her to work -- called a H1B -- can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time if Ms. Barghouthi finds a full- or part-time job with a "cap-exempt" employer. Employers not subject to a cap on H1B visas include nonprofit and government research organizations, and colleges and universities and their affiliates, such as teaching hospitals.

The obligations of the sponsoring employer include having the need to fill a specialty occupation that requires a bachelor's degree or its equivalent (in this case, rehabilitation counseling or a disability-related position) and offering the prevailing wage for the type of work begin performed. The law requires the employer, not the employee, to pay filing and legal fees.

"The U.S. needs to be more open to admitting people like Jenan, people with genuine skills who will contribute to society," Ms. May said. "We need more H1B visas for people like her."

Ms. Barghouthi's professional skills, as well as her personality, make her stand out, said Mr. Angelone.

"Everyone knows her," he said. "When she defended her scholarly paper at the end of her program, the room was so full that we had to bring in extra chairs."