The conceptualisation of inclusion and disability in Bhutan

Abstract

Chapter 3 presents a research that explored the concepts Disability and Inclusion from the perspective of Bhutanese people. There is scarce research on the education of children with disabilities in Bhutan. A qualitative research design was adopted and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 people. According to the findings, participants understood disability primarily as product of genetic inheritance, medical condition or accident. Some held negative views about the parents of disabled children, considering them somehow responsible for their children’s disability, and some associated disability with karma (bad fate). Moreover, they held quite different views as to what inclusion means. The authors call for improved training programmes for teachers on inclusion and disability, as well as programmes to raise awareness in the wider population of Bhutan.