Inclusive Education: Experiences Of Children With Multiple Disabilities And Their Teachers At Richard Akwei Memorial And Central Mosque Basic Schools

Abstract

The study explored the experiences of children with multiple disabilities (CWMDs) and their teachers in an inclusive education (IE) setting in the Ashiedu-Keteke Sub Metropolitan District Council of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). It also considered the challenges the CWMDs and their teachers encounter with the inclusive education (IE) policy using theory of Intergroup Contact by Allport (1954) as the theoretical perspective to demonstrate the understanding of the phenomena being studied. A qualitative method was employed which gave way to select twenty-five participants purposively. The participants included two headmistresses, two special education teachers, one special coordinator, ten regular teachers and ten CWMDs. As part of the positive experience, the study found that CWMDs enjoy the friendship and socialization the IE program offers, though there were challenges. On the other side, the study revealed that regular teachers did not receive any formal training before the take-off of the pilot training. What was critical was the fact that the school environment is not disability friendly. Again, the teachers do not have teaching learning material coupled with large class size. It is therefore recommended that teachers should be given formal training and provided with the requisite teaching learning material to do effective teaching. It is hoped that with these provisions available, inclusive education will be more effective and will elicit the expected fulfillment in both the teachers and the CWMDs.