The purpose of this session is to share my experiences as part of an exchange program that teaches English and the U.S. culture to a group of visually impaired students in the Roi Et School for the Blind, located in the northeastern part of Thailand or the Isan region, a rural area long associated with a high poverty rate. Setting out primarily to help foster awareness of human rights, specifically, the equal opportunity for education for students with visual impairment, this project sought to advocate for cultural sustainability through multilayers of collaborations among culture bearers, pedagogues, and community leaders to adopt and adapt theories and methods of culture studies and education (music education and special education) to develop interests of local culture in the Isan region and outline the global significance of grassroot Isan folklore. My role in this project is twofold: I was the music specialist for a middle school group (20 students aging from six to nineteen). Where I adopted much of what I do as a K-5 music educator in the U.S. I was also an ambassador who shared with these Thai students cultural values prominent to U.S. society. While serving to fulfill this goal, in exchange, I along with other U.S. fellow participants, was taught folk music of the Isan region, an important musical practice that these visually impaired Thai students are trained to develop as one of their career options. Throughout this exchange program (20 days), I was made aware of the importance of Special Educational supports in the music classroom as well as the need and importance of adaptation. With the use of Thai language, music fundamentals, and community we were impacted by this group of young Thai musicians. These students showed musical complexity and understanding. They also highlighted the importance of student based learning. In addition to the introduction of the special education system (visual impaired) in Thailand, the School for the Blind in Roi Et, and the significance of the regional Isan folklore tradition in this session, I will share the challenges I encountered working with the students, with special focus on the need for special education training in music. I will also discuss how to leverage resources from the community to help enrich learning experiences in the music classroom. I will also showcase how these young Thai students have helped transform me to teach my current classroom.