We have our feet planted firmly in mid-air.

On my final afternoon in Chiang Mai (and Thailand’s National Disability Day), I was lucky enough to spend a few sunny hours with Jim & Sheryl Tewksbury, residents of Randolph, Vermont and founders of Global Campuses Foundation. GCF - which runs programs in (you guessed it!) Vermont and Thailand - has made incredible progress in empowering and advocating for persons with differing abilities. They operate based on the philosophy that those they serve should not only participate, but also play an active role as leaders and creators within the organization. In this way, small campus communities form and flourish where they are needed most. The campuses provide a space for both personal and professional growth, where individuals wear many different hats as teachers, learners, and stewards of the program. In Thailand, a country where social discrimination and physical inaccessibility still block many paths for those living with disabilities, GCF’s work has been particularly powerful. A great divide still separates those with and without disabilities, as one recent article in Chiang Mai’s City Life magazine explains:The article goes on to comment:

Though this may lead to people disliking and avoiding disabled persons, it more often creates a charitable, often described as “merciful” attitude towards people with disabilities. [however] an inclusive society can only be achieved when people with disabilities are allowed to define their needs and the ways in which they should be addressed - becoming agents of their own lives rather than ‘objects’ to be taken care of.

Jim & Sheryl have dedicated many years to spreading this message as far and wide as they can. Both former professors, they’ve spent most of their lives afoot, always hopping from one school or home to the next - and currently divide their time between Randolph and Chiang Mai, over 8,000 miles apart. With a laugh that could have been interpreted as self-effacing or simply amused by its own absurdity, Jim told me: “we like to say that we have our feet planted firmly in mid-air.” I laughed along, realizing I had begun to understand exactly what that feels like. Whether or not i’ll follow in Jim & Sheryl’s cross-continental footsteps remains to be seen. For now, i’m happy to have drifted into their airspace, even just for an afternoon. Thanks for everything guys!

- Alex, USA