'Enabling curricula for children with disabilities in developing countries: pathways to progress

What are the educational needs of children with disabilities? How can curricula which address these needs be effectively designed and delivered in low and lower-middle income countries (LALMIC)? And how can the international... [ view full abstract ]

What are the educational needs of children with disabilities? How can curricula which address these needs be effectively designed and delivered in low and lower-middle income countries (LALMIC)? And how can the international development community support rather than impede these processes? Drawing upon narratives of social transformation and self-realization (particularly the capabilities approach and human rights theory), evidence-based theories of learning, empirical studies, and the writings of disability scholars and activists in both the Global North and the Global South, the author identifies the key elements of enabling curricula for children with disabilities – curricula which will assist children with disabilities to lead fulfilling and creative lives in their communities and societies, and curricula which are both globally relevant for children with disabilities and sensitive to human and geographical diversity. All the phases of a child's education from early childhood onward are considered, as is the significance of informal and non-formal education provision, delivered in homes and communities by primary and secondary care-givers. A series of pathways for the design and delivery of these curricula in low and middle income countries are then identified – pathways which take into account both the diverse capacities of formal and non-formal education systems in LALMIC and the ways in which cultures and contexts can facilitate/impede the realization of inclusive curricula for children with disabilities. The role that the international development community in all its complexity can play in promoting inclusive curricula is also considered, with the author drawing upon examples of successful North-South collaboration in Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, India, Laos and China. Examples of less successful development practice in this field are also considered. As well as drawing upon the relevant literature, the author refers to his thirty years’ experience working with children with disabilities as a community volunteer, classroom teacher and development professional.