Rwanda-Uganda experience was authentic ‘exchange’
Genuine connections with local people. Hands-on learning alongside peers. A shared appreciation of the area鈥檚 history. For Justice Shorter, these experiences are what characterized her time in Uganda and Rwanda as a true 鈥渆xchange.鈥
August 22nd, 2023 | Africa, Careers, 91精品, SIT Graduate Institute
SIT alumna Justice Shorter is an organizer/facilitator, Disability Justice amplifier, and senior advisor on issues at the intersection of race, disability, gender, climate, and crises. She is a national expert on disability inclusive disaster protections, emergency management and humanitarian crises/conflicts. This story was originally published on the. It is reprinted here with permission. Photo courtesy of
鈥淭here鈥檚 an undeniable vibe that moves through the air鈥 Justice Shorter ascribes to her temporary home in northern Uganda and Rwanda. 鈥淢y study abroad experience gave me the chance to encounter that time and time again.鈥
In 2012, as an undergraduate at Marquette University, Justice chose to study on summer program in Uganda and Rwanda to observe how inclusive development can be used to alleviate the effects of poverty. She went on to earn an MA in Sustainable Development at SIT in 2015
When you study abroad, you don鈥檛 walk away the same person you were when you walked in. You can鈥檛 go across the world without gaining a new sense of appreciation for it, even if it鈥檚 that you didn鈥檛 know what you thought you knew before. Immerse yourself as much as you possibly can.
Justice Shorter
The program promised to provide an on-the-ground understanding of measures that have been taken toward conflict mitigation, resettlement, and prevention in the region. Justice was highly attracted to this experiential learning model that characterizes SIT鈥檚 study abroad programs. 鈥淭hey really put you in the environment to learn hands-on. You鈥檙e not just reading something in a research paper or watching a video. You鈥檙e having real-world interactions, speaking to people with lived experiences.鈥
For her program, this involved living with a host family and practicing local languages including Acholi and Kinyarwanda, but it also meant appreciating the depth of the region鈥檚 hardships. Justice and her peers met with organizations and individuals devoted to helping communities recover from the conflict driven by Joseph Kony and the Lord鈥檚 Resistance Army in northern Uganda, and they joined challenging discussions with people who survived an era of genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda. During visits to genocide museums, Justice, who is legally blind, asked her fellow students to describe visuals out loud to her, acknowledging that to articulate scenes of atrocity verbally can be even more wrenching than quiet observation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very emotional, heavy, hard. But you realize that if you feel this way, you can only imagine how the survivors must feel. In leading these tours, presentations, and discussions for people who want to learn, they live it daily.鈥
In the wake of extreme anguish, Justice was inspired by the resilience of the survivors to take ownership of their history and live joyfully. Everywhere she went, she found people who were proud and passionate about their personal and family histories, their relationships, their food, their languages, their music, their dance 鈥 and, oh, did they dance!
鈥淭owards the end of the program, we had a big celebration with all of our homestay families in Gulu, a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. We were all dancing and sweating, showing each other our best moves. I danced with the kids and tried to keep up with my homestay sister as she showed me new dances. It was an unforgettable night!鈥
Do not let anything stop you from going out and experiencing the world. We have a phenomenal planet with phenomenal people and places on it.
Justice Shorter
If things didn鈥檛 go according to plan, whether it was a power outage, someone running late, or inaccessible reading materials鈥揓ustice resolved to find ways to still get the most out of the experience. The program staff always seemed to have contingency plans in place. 鈥淲hatever happens, the whole day shall not be wasted! That has stayed with me since then.鈥
Justice estimates that her fellow travelers and the local people she met had had very few, if any, personal experiences with someone with a disability, and that as a result, her daily interactions with people helped to spark conversations around blindness, accessibility, and inclusion. Still, she was mindful of not trying to represent all blind or disabled people and instead allowed herself to be her own multi-dimensional self.
鈥淵es, I am someone who is blind, but I鈥檓 also someone who is black, a woman, a lesbian. All of these aspects are as much a part of my identity, and I am proud of them, but none of them individually solely represent me. If you can find ways to be who you are, even when it鈥檚 difficult or not accessible, people will remember you as a whole person.鈥
But 鈥渨ho you are鈥 is also susceptible to stretch, flex, and grow under the catalyst of international exchange. It鈥檚 a phenomenon which Justice urges travelers to embrace with open arms.
鈥淲hen you study abroad, you don鈥檛 walk away the same person you were when you walked in. You can鈥檛 go across the world without gaining a new sense of appreciation for it, even if it鈥檚 that you didn鈥檛 know what you thought you knew before. Immerse yourself as much as you possibly can.鈥
Justice鈥檚 advice for travelers with disabilities
Don鈥檛 assume that Africa is inaccessible.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to sugar-coat it: Access can be challenging. Still, people need to get away from the idea that they won鈥檛 be able to find what they need.鈥 There鈥檚 also a misconception that Africa is uniform, when in fact it is a mosaic of amazing metropolitan cities as well as vibrant rural communities that have distinct approaches to access and inclusion.
鈥淭he difference between a crisis and a problem is time.鈥
To ensure that the program would work for her, Justice let the staff know in advance that she鈥檇 need materials in digital formats, electronic information in advance, and time to orient herself to new spaces and places.
鈥淜now that you are not alone.鈥
Contact disability organizations in the area you are interested in exploring to find out what resources are available and what sorts of laws and social norms affect people with disabilities.
鈥淟earn from the experiences of local people with disabilities.鈥
On a previous experience abroad, Justice valued the opportunity to talk to blind people in Cape Town, South Africa. Remember their experiences will not necessarily mirror your own. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e coming from a different part of the world. They can teach you, and you can teach them. It鈥檚 another aspect of cultural exchange.鈥
鈥淧eople can help make or break an experience for you."
Fortunately, I was surrounded by really wonderful people.鈥 You don鈥檛 always get to choose your travel companions, but your group can acknowledge that each person needs assistance at times and that each person also has strengths to offer. You鈥檙e all learning together.