CEHD project with Bhutan concludes, Schuelka and Johnstone Present in Dubai

Advocacy meeting at the University of Birmingham–Dubai Campus on inclusive education and employment for persons with disabilities. Pictured: Chris Johnstone (U of M), Marilena di Coste (The Butterfly NGO), Dr. Sarah Benson (University of Birmingham), and Matt Schuelka (U of M).

In December, Lecturer Matthew Schuelka and Associate Professor Christopher Johnstone, Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, travelled to Dubai, UAE, to engage with the University of Birmingham (Dubai campus) and participate virtually with a conference being held in Bhutan. The conference was the final event for the project titled “Understanding, Developing, and Supporting Meaningful Work for Youth with Disabilities in Bhutan.” The project was a recipient of the prestigious Global Challenges Research Fund grant awarded by the British government, and involved the University of Minnesota, University of Birmingham, and Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan. Schuelka was the lead for the project, which also included Johnstone, and Brian Abery and Renáta Tichá of the Institute on Community Integration as co-investigators from the U of M.

The Bhutan project sought to understand and enhance the current reality for inclusive employment and social participation for young adults with disabilities in Bhutan; provide advocacy, coordination, and interventions to support increased awareness and activity in this area; and also work toward sustained support and awareness for inclusive employment and social participation for young adults with disabilities in areas with limited resources and that are significantly rural in nature. Through the project, multiple surveys, scoping, mapping, and policy economy analyses were conducted. During the intervention phase of the project, several inclusion coordinators were hired in Bhutan to facilitate inclusive employment with disabled clients; advocacy and training workshops were conducted; and 11 persons with disabilities received grants to start their own businesses or pursue other professional and training goals. The impact of the project was profound, and provides further evidence that sustained support and a small amount of start-up capital makes a significant and positive impact on the lives of persons with disabilities from socio-economically marginalized communities. Publications from the project are currently in development. 

A video on the project was produced by the Institute on Community Integration in 2020, titled Bhutan’s Future Challenge, and can be found here. Schuelka also produced a full-feature documentary film through project funding, with award-winning Bhutanese filmmaker Arun Bhattarai, called Dreams of Birds Flying in the Sky. The film explores the lived-realities of persons with disabilities in Bhutan and is currently being screened at international film festivals. The trailer of the film can be found here

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel to Bhutan is not currently possible. However, technology allowed the project to simultaneously host the conference live in Bhutan and in Dubai. Abery and Tichá also participated in the conference virtually from Minnesota. While in Dubai, Schuelka and Johnstone also gave lectures at the University of Birmingham as well as engaged with several local UAE organizations around issues of inclusive education and inclusive employment. 

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