EDUCATING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: A POLICY OR REALITY? THE GHANAIAN EXPERIENCE

Adam Awini, Eugenia Tawiah Adam, Alexander Gariba

Abstract


Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are in every community in Ghana. They are often marginalized in many spheres of life including education, families and access to public places, due to the misconceptions held about their capabilities. Even though policies and documents on the education of PWDs exist, certain considerations such as access, participation, and recognition which are fundamental, are often overlooked. This paper critically examines the nuances of the above factors by identifying some problems PWDs encounter in their quest for education. Data for this study were solicited from policy documents and fieldwork. Content analysis of policies and documents on the education of PWDs in Ghana and their experiences in Educational Institutions were discussed. Interviews and focused group discussions on the experiences of PWDs were the instruments for the study. Participants were sampled based on a simple random technique. Thirteen (13) respondents including 10 students and 3 teachers participated in the study. The study revealed that despite the various policies on the education of PWDs, they are not reflective of the situation in the schools and institutions. Some PWDs are being discriminated against and not given much recognition in their schools. Also, the environment in their institutions is not disability friendly. The paper suggests a standardized implementation plan and much advocacy on the policies for the education of PWDs. Finally, more teachers should be given the training to acquire the requisite skills needed for supporting PWDs’ education.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


disability, education, policies, experience

Full Text:

PDF

References


Agbenyega, J. (2005). Support Services for Special Needs Children. Accra: Olam Press.

Avoke, M. (2002). Introduction to Special Education. Accra: Salt and Light Press.

Gordon A. (2000). Traditional Beliefs and Attitudes towards disability among the people of North Tongu. Unpublished dissertation submitted to the department for the study of religions. University of Ghana.

Ministry of Education (2015). Standards and Guidelines for Practice of Inclusive Education in Ghana. UNICEF Sandrine Bohan- Jacquot.

Ministry of Education, Inclusive Education Policy: Implementation Plan 2015-2019. UNICEF / Ghana. 2013 909O.

Ocloo, Nyadu and Dogbe (2002). The Foundation of Special Education for Children with Disability. Accra: Salt and Light Press.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v8i1.4194

Copyright © 2015 - 2023. European Journal of Special Education Research (ISSN 2501 - 2428) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).