Dis/ability, Inclusion, and Policy: The Case for Children With Autism in Senegal

• In Event: 46.086 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 46.086-30 - Access, Equity, and Inclusion: Interrupting Normalized Discourses of Exclusion

Abstract

Educating students with disabilities in an inclusive general education setting has been shown to increase academic achievement, increase peer acceptance, increase self-esteem, create a richer friendship network, and have positive lifetime benefits. The West African nation of Senegal has pledged to increase inclusive education for students with disabilities by 2015. This paper explores the level of inclusiveness in education for children with disabilities in a country in the most vulnerable of regions, Dakar, Senegal through a comprehensive literature review and case study analysis. Issues that affect inclusive education for all in Senegal include access to schooling, community and societal perceptions of individuals with disabilities, poverty, and teacher training and pedagogy.

Author

• Elizabeth R. Drame, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee