Lived Experiences of Children with Disabilities as They Try Accessing Inclusive Education in Emergency/Refugee Communities, Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, Southwestern Uganda
Abstract
Purpose: This study sought to understand and bridge the research gap on the lived experiences of Children with Disabilities (CWD) in Kyaka II refugee settlement as they seek inclusive education. Also, the study accessed the inclusivity of the settlement’s schools. Methods: Key informant interviews were used to collect data from 36 respondents across the settlement. These included CWD (n=9), parents of CWD (n=14), local leaders/ Refugee Welfare Committee (RWC) (n=7), and head teachers (n=6). Observations were also conducted on the settlement’s Primary schools. Findings: This study revealed: (1) majority of the CWD are not schooling; (2)majority of the CWD live in single and yet female-headed families ; (3) CWD still support domestic work; (4) CWD also have games they enjoy playing; (5) families with CWD are mainly faced with stigma/ discrimination, abuse (physical and emotional) and increased expenses ; (6) in the community and schools CWD are mainly faced with stigma/ discrimination, abuse (physical &emotional), movement difficulties, distress, writing difficulties and difficult in accessing some school structures; (7) schools in the settlement are not fully inclusive. Conclusion: This study is insightful to the policymakers, funders and organisations responding to disability inclusion and inclusive education, also, more funding is recommended.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Andrienko, N. K., Gorbacheva, D. A., Skripkina, A. V., Lobejko, J. A., Trinistatskaja, O. G., Kovalenko, V. I., & Baboshina, E. V. (2017). Retraining of teachers of primary school for working with children with disabilities of health in the conditions of inclusive education. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 9(10), 1668-1671.
Anderson, D., Dumont, S., Phillip, J., & Azzaria, L. (2007). The personal cost of caring for a child with a disability: A review of the literature. Association of School of Public Health: SAGE Publications.
Bannink, F., Hove, G. V., & Idro, R. (2016). Parental stress and support of parents of children with spina bifida in Uganda: Original research. African Journal of Disability, 5(1), 1-10.
Bešic´, E., & Hochgatterer, L. (2020, June 3). Refugee families with children with disabilities: Exploring their social network and support needs. A good practice example. Frontiers in Education, 5: 61. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00061
Braun, V., Clarke, V., Hayfield, N., & Terry, G. (2018). Thematic analysis. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Handbook of research methods in health social sciences (pp. 1-18). Springer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Disability and health overview. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html#:~:text=A%20disability%20is%20any%20condition,around%20them%20(participation%20restrictions).
Children’s Bureau. (2017). Long-term consequences of child welfare. Child Welfare Information Gateway. Retrieved from www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/long_term_consequences.pdf
Donaghue, J., Deacon, L. M., & Stephen, J. (2020). “What’s wrong with you, are you stupid?” Listening to the biographical narratives of adults with dyslexia in an age of ‘inclusive’ and ‘anti-discriminatory’ practice. Disability and Society. 37(3), 406-426.
EcEwen, B. S. (2011). Effects of stress on the developing brain. Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science, 2011, 14. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20584
Finn Church Aid Uganda. (2020). Kyaka II primary schools enrollment. Finn Church Aid Uganda.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine Transaction.
Goodman, L. A. (1961). Snowball sampling. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 32(1), 148-170.
Guo-Brennan, L., & Guo-Brennan, M. (2019, July 10). Building welcoming and inclusive schools for immigrant and refugee students: Policy, framework and promising praxis. In J. Daugard, B. Porter, D. Ikawa, & L. Chewi (Eds.), Education, immigration and migration (Studies in Educational Administration, pp. 73-93). https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78756-044-420191006
Hayes, A. M., & Bulat, J. (2017). Disabilities inclusive education systems and policies guide for low- and middle-income countries. RTI Press Publication No. OP-0043-1707. https://doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2017.op.0043.1707
Hussain, S., Shahzadi, U., & Khan, I. (2020). Challenges to learners with disabilities in the higher education institutions in Pakistan: A review. Research Journal of Social Sciences & Economics Review, 1(3), 1-6.
IDEA Partnership. (2004). Definition of child with a disability. Retrieved from http://www.ideapartnership.org/topics-database/idea-2004/idea-2004-part-b/1396-definition-of-child-with-a-disability.html#:~:text=(1)%20Child%20with%20a% 20disability,in%20this%20part%20as%20''emotional.
Inclusion me. (2020). What does inclusion mean? Retrieved from https://www.inclusion.me.uk/news/what_does_inclusion_mean
Inclusive City Maker. (2021). Disabled people in the world in 2021: Facts and figures. Retrieved December 2021, from https://www.inclusivecitymaker.com/disabled-people-in-the-world-in-2021-facts-and-figures/
Jahan, N., Barbareschi, G., Austin, V. P., & Holloway, C. (2020). Inclusion and independence: The impact of mobile technology on the lives of persons with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh. ResearchGate.
Jahan, N., Barbareschi, G., Jan, C. A., Mutuku, C. M., Rahman, N., Austin, V., & Holloway, C. (2020). Inclusion and independence: The impact of mobile technology on the lives of persons with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh.
Karsidia, R., Kartonob, D. T., & Wulansaric, A. (2017). The effect of signification, resource domination, and legitimacy and inclusive education legitimacy on inclusivity of elementary school in Surakarta City. International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies, 4, 1-7.
Kholi, A., Sharma, S., & Padhy, S. K. (2018). Specific learning disabilities: Issues that remain unanswered. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 40(5): 399-405. https://doi.org/10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_86_18
Kumar, K. (1989). Conducting key informant interviews in developing countries. A.I.D. Program Design and Evaluation Methodology Report No. 13.
Lekholetova, M., Liakh, T., & Zaveryko, N. (2020). Problems of parents caring for children with disabilities. International Scientific Conference, IV, 268-278.
Magezi, A., Abaho, E., & Kakooza, J. B. (2021, June). Effective project communication and successful consortia engagements. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 6(6), 1474-1483.
Mantey, E. E. (2017). Discrimination against children with disabilities in mainstream schools in Southern Ghana: Challenges and perspectives from stakeholders. International Journal of Educational Development, 54, 18-25.
Kauffman J. M. (2007). Conceptual models and the future of special education. Education and Treatment of Children, 30, 241–258. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2007.0024
Mattson, G., & Kuo, D. (2019). Psychosocial factors in children and youth with special health care needs and their families. Pediatrics, 143 (1): e20183171. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3171
Monika. (2018). Role of family in inclusive education. International Journal of Academic Research and Development, 3(1), 258-260.
National Planning Authority. (2017). National disability-inclusive planning guidelines for Uganda. Kampala: National Planning Authority.
Odech, K. B., Jones, N., Pincock, K., & Malachowska, A. (2021, September 15). ‘I wish someone would ask me questions’: The unheard voices of adolescents with disabilities in Jordan. The European Journal of Development Research, 33, 1328-1348. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00421-0
Oketch, J. B., Yuwono, I., & Abdu, W. J. (2021). Implementation of inclusive education practices for children with disabilities and other special needs in Uganda. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 8(1), 97-102.
Panti?, N., & Florian, L. (2015). Developing teachers as agents of inclusion and social justice. Education Inquiry, 6(3), 27311. https://doi.org/10.3402/edui.v6.27311
Perry, S. (2019). Guidance on strengthening disability inclusion in humanitarian response plans. ReliefWeb. Retrieved December 25, 2021, from https://reliefweb.int/report/world/guidance-strengthening-disability-inclusion-humanitarian-response-plans
Saebones, A.-M. (2015). Towards a disability inclusive education. Background paper for the Oslo Summit on Education for Development. In R. B. Bieler, N. Baboo, L. Banham, N. Signal, C. Howgego, C. V. McClain-Nhlapo, & G. A. Danise (Eds.), Oslo Summit on Education for Development, 6(7).
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
ISSN: 2454-6623