ICI Brings Global Collaboration and Inspiration to Bhutan

Institute on Community Integration (ICI) staff participated in the International Association of Special Education (IASE) conference in Thimpu, Bhutan, in June 2026. Left to right: Brian Abery (co-director of ICI's Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education), Tom Donaghy (former copy-editor of the Journal of the International Association of Special Education), Renáta Tichá (co-director of ICI's Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education, past president of IASE, and conference co-chair), Kristin Kline Liu (co-director of ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes and director of ICI's TIES Center), and Emily Unholz-Bowden (researcher).

A group from the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) traveled to the Himalayan mountain region in June to attend and present at a conference in the small, hidden kingdom of Bhutan. Planning for the International Association of Special Education (IASE) conference began in 2018, when ICI researchers Rénata Tichá and Brian Abery were invited to join a study on how young people with disabilities in Bhutan transition into employment and community life. Those initial meetings led to deep and meaningful relationships that have benefited children and youth with disabilities and their families in Bhutan and in Minnesota, as described in this travel story by ICI Associate Director of Research Rénata Tichá.

Several other ICI staff also attended the conference, presenting research, visiting schools, and building new international partnerships that will continue long after the event concluded.

By Renáta Tichá

The conference was finally here. After two years of preparations by the International Association of Special Education (IASE) conference planning committee and the local conference committee at the Royal Thimphu College (RTC), we welcomed 150 delegates from 27 countries as we landed at the iconically picturesque and treacherous Paro airport to be transported by conference buses to the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu.

As the past president of IASE and the conference co-chair, I was often asked why we were having this conference in Bhutan, and "Where is Bhutan?" Bhutan is a small kingdom in the Himalayan mountains bordering northern India and Tibet (administered by China), a country that remained secluded from the outside world until the 1970s.

When Brian Abery, ICI’s co-director of the Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education, and I were invited in 2018 to participate in a project led by the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom to conduct research in Bhutan, neither of us had much knowledge of this remote Buddhist kingdom. Given that the project focused on the transition of youth and young adults with disabilities into employment and other community-based activities, we jumped at this opportunity.

This project provided us not only with a deeper understanding of Bhutanese culture and lifestyle, and of the lives of people with disabilities, their families, and community members in their villages and cities of residence, but also with the opportunity to meet dedicated colleagues who became friends beyond the project's three-year timeline.

One of these long-lasting friends is Kezang Sherab, currently the dean for academic affairs at the RTC. Kezang approached me about three years ago, asking whether we would consider having our next IASE conference in Bhutan. I thought for a minute, shared the inquiry with the IASE Board of Directors, and asked the RTC to submit a proposal. With some explanation about Bhutan, their landscape, infrastructure, and schooling for children with disabilities, Bhutan and RTC were announced as the next conference location at the end of the 18th Biennial IASE conference in Pilsen, Czech Republic.

Fast forward, and together with our RTC colleagues, we put together an impressive conference program featuring 82 presentations, three keynote addresses, and two panels. The presentations ranged from interventions in early childhood to transition to adulthood. Each presentation not only highlighted an issue in special or inclusive education or transition but also provided context from one of the 27 countries, including geography, socio-economics, education systems, and policies.

On the third day of the conference, delegates visited Changangkha, an inclusive middle school, and Draktsho, a vocational training center in Thimphu, with which we worked on our Bhutan project in 2018. In fact, there are still art pieces hanging on the walls of ICI, made by youth with disabilities from Draktsho, that we brought to Minnesota to sell, with the profits sent back to the young artists to buy new paints, canvases, and carving tools.

In addition to co-chairing the conference, being part of the closing panel along with my Bhutanese conference co-chair and dean of development and external relations, Chencho Lhamu, my presentations focused on the findings from the Administration for Community Living-funded project on transition in Minnesota and findings from the Bhutan transition project from 2018 to 2020 that led to the conference being held in Bhutan.

Conferences come and go, but colleagues, friends, ideas, collaborations, and inspirations remain. This was my fourth time in the beautiful country of Bhutan and the RTC. Bhutan has a long way to go to modernize its education system, make public places more accessible, and remove stigma when encountering people with disabilities. People in Bhutan, however, have a gentle spirit, a high sense of social responsibility, and a belief in making progress while preserving their cultural identity. There is much to learn from each other.

I am very proud that, at ICI, we have a connection to this great country and remain connected to our colleagues and friends at the RTC through sharing ideas and working together to improve systems and infrastructure, enhancing the experiences of children and youth with disabilities and their families in Bhutan and in Minnesota.

Perspectives from Other ICI Attendees

Other ICI researchers also traveled to Bhutan to present their work, visit schools, and build international collaborations. They described the conference as an opportunity to strengthen partnerships and learn from colleagues around the world.

Kristin Kline Liu is the co-director of ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes and the director of the TIES Center. This was her first time attending the IASE conference, and she was interested in learning more about how Bhutan is educating students with disabilities. She visited the Changangkha Middle School in Thimphu, which is Bhutan’s first inclusive school.

“I found the IASE attendees and the Bhutanese teachers in particular to be warm, welcoming, and friendly. This was a totally different conference experience from anything I had ever experienced before in the United States. When I returned from the conference, I got a text message from a special education professor in India whom I got to know at the conference. I love the possibilities for connection,” Liu said.

ICI’s Co-Director of the Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education, Brian Abery, and Researcher Emily Unholz-Bowden made an IASE conference presentation on their work with Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools (SOUCS) and the first round of data they collected to examine the effect the SOUCS program has on the development of an athlete’s emotional learning and self-determination skills.

“The IASE conference in Bhutan was truly an invaluable experience,” said Unholz-Bowden. “It was a great way to meet people and make new connections. For example, in presenting our supported decision-making work, we were able to learn from a couple of people about what guardianship looks like in other countries, and also piqued the interests of educators who work with younger children, but who see the value in thinking about supporting self-determination and decision-making early.”

The conference also complemented ICI's ongoing work with Special Olympics in Bhutan. The most recent edition of ICI’s Impact magazine features an article highlighting how SOUCS Bhutan is changing the way students with and without developmental and other disabilities play sports together. Instead of focusing on winning, Bhutan uses the games to promote happiness, kindness, and equal opportunities for every child.

Together, the conference presentations, school visits, and conversations reinforced the value of international collaboration, an important aspect of ICI’s work. While the conference lasted only a few days, the relationships formed and strengthened in Bhutan will continue to support research, education, and inclusive practices that benefit children with disabilities and their families worldwide.