Australia Awards South and West Asia

To mark this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the theme of ‘Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future’, we highlight two Bhutanese alumni who are leading advocacy programs for deaf communities to build an inclusive society in Bhutan.

Alumni Yeshi Gyaltshen and Cheten Tshering, both teachers at the Wangsel Institute for the Deaf in Bhutan, received an Australia Awards Alumni Engagement Grant in June 2024 to implement advocacy programs aimed at empowering the deaf community with enhanced knowledge of their rights and accessibility, and raise awareness among general stakeholders about the inclusion of people with disability in policy formulation and implementation. Yeshi Gyaltshen, who is a person living with hearing impairment himself, took the lead in applying for the grant, believing that stereotypes, uncertainties, and misunderstandings can be clarified through inclusion awareness programs.

Alumni Yeshi (far right) and Cheten (second from right) with resource persons Sushila (far left) and David (second from left) during one of the advocacy programs.

The alumni implemented four advocacy programs for the deaf communities and stakeholders in the Paro, Thimphu, and Trashigang districts of Bhutan. During the awareness workshops, participants learnt about deafness, deaf culture, deaf identity models, accessibility, and support mechanisms for deaf individuals. The alumni engaged experts on deafness as resource persons to facilitate the workshops and drive discussions among stakeholders. One of the resource persons was an Australian volunteer, David Gibson, who shared his expertise on deaf awareness and stakeholder engagement. Through interactive discussions, the participants were inspired to assert their rights and advocate for greater inclusion and accessibility in Bhutanese society.

In addition to the workshops, Yeshi and Cheten coordinated a Deaf Sports Fest at the Wangsel Institute to celebrate the International Week of Deaf People in September 2024. The festival featured hosted different sporting events to highlight the wide array of talents, skills and experiences within the deaf community, showcasing diversity and communality among participants.

Participants performing an aerobic dance during the Deaf Sports Fest, held at the Wangsel Institute for the Deaf in Bhutan.

Throughout the advocacy programs conducted by Yeshi and Cheten, they encouraged all participants and the deaf community to become vocal advocates for their rights within their communities, to foster greater awareness and inclusivity, and to contribute to the Deaf Association of Bhutan. This association recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Disabled People’s Organization of Bhutan, to improve the welfare of the community and enable inclusive decision-making for deaf individuals.