Disability Studies in Inclusive Education

Abstract

This innovative textbook, Disability Studies in Inclusive Education, aims to boost teachers' confidence in mainstream and special schools, enabling them to effectively engage with learners with disabilities in the classroom and address their diverse learning needs. It originates in the Disability Studies in Education (DSE) course initiated in 2017 in the Division of Disability Studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and was developed by the Including Disability in Education in Africa (IDEA) research unit. The DSE course development process prioritised inclusivity and active involvement from academics, teachers, parents, persons with disabilities, and community stakeholders, including NGOs. Through a consultative and co-design process, the course convenors brought together a diverse range of skills and expertise from scholars in Disability Studies and specialist educators proficient in reasonable accommodation for meeting the learning needs of learners with disabilities. This textbook is an outcome of that collaborative process. In the context of SDG4, which promotes quality, inclusive education for all, the textbook explores the challenges of equitable education through the lens of Disability Studies in education. The authors discuss the impact of specific impairments on individuals and their learning, along with strategies for addressing these challenges through an enabling learning environment, incorporating curriculum adaptation and reasonable accommodation for learners with disabilities. The textbook provides a foundational understanding of Disability Studies and its application in inclusive education. Relevant policy is examined globally, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries from a decolonial perspective. Adopting the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, the textbook provides a systematic approach to maximise flexibility in the curriculum, allowing all learners to flourish by choosing learning pathways that best suit them, to achieve their goals. The authors recognise that UDL alone is insufficient for ensuring full participation of learners with disabilities and emphasise the importance of reasonable accommodations tailored to the specific needs of learners with impairments as well as the importance of engaging families and communities in circles of care to support the learner. The Disability Studies in Inclusive Education textbook serves as a valuable resource for learners, teachers and teacher educators, either as part of a formal course or independently as needed. The design of the textbook adheres to UDL principles, with a strong focus on accessibility and interactive engagement, featuring links to video, further reading and other multimedia. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, this work can be freely hosted, reused, adapted, or translated by educators and learners in other contexts, on condition that proper attribution is given to the authors. This textbook was developed and published by the IDEA research unit in collaboration with the Digital Open Textbooks for Development initiative in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at UCT.