Matthew Schuelka, a lecturer in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, (OLPD) and researcher at the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), was a featured keynote speaker at the recent Anjali International Children and Youth Festival Dialogues in Disability feature series. The event was held in Bhubaneswar, India and broadcast virtually. Schuelka spoke on the topic of disability and Buddhism. The Anjali Festival is the largest children’s festival in India, and organized by the State Disability Information and Resource Center, India (SWABHIMAN). 

According to the event organizer, Sruti Mohapatra, “When planning an event such as this, it is imperative to gain the participation of experts in the field. Dr. Schuelka’s willingness to share his time and expertise in this important yet unexplored area was critical to the success of the dialogues. We were fortunate to have a wide range of speakers from different fields and different parts of the world.”

A current lecturer and also PhD graduate of OLPD (CIDE, ‘14), Schuelka is a globally recognized researcher and advocate for inclusive education and disability rights. He has consulted on projects with UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank regarding disability-inclusion issues. He is currently involved with multiple projects at ICI, including inclusive employment for persons with disabilities in Bhutan, using robotics as assistive technology in Japan, and another new project on transition from school to employment for youth with disabilities in Singapore. 

Schuelka’s most recent book, Global Directions in Inclusive Education, is set to be published in late December and available for pre-order now from Routledge.