Delivering Universal Design for Learning at Scale Malawi

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Evidence on making inclusive education work on the ground – key lessons on data, design and implementation

Proposal

The right to education is more of an aspirational dream than a reality for many. In Malawi, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has made significant investments over the past decades to support inclusive education, including support to over 150 Special Needs Education (SNE) resource centers to assist mainstream primary schools in delivering on this promise. Through the USAID funded Reading for All Malawi (REFAM) activity, Juarez & Associates (J&A) has supported the MOE to implement a national scale introduction of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which directly aligns with the theme for CIES 2023, Improving Education for a More Equitable World.

The gaps and challenges are significant in Malawi to ensure access to education for all. Learners with disabilities (LWD) are supported by specialist teachers to attend primary schools across the country. Under REFAM, J&A trained over 500 SNE teachers and members of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in the UDL approach towards identification and assessment of LWD, development of individual education plans, coaching of mainstream teachers, and engagement of community. There was also training on deaf education and introduction to Malawian Sign Language (MSL) for teachers in the schools for the deaf.

Going beyond the “why?,” the contextualized UDL training aligned to the national reading program (NRP) curriculum and provided concrete ways of “how” to deliver inclusive learning environments to engage all learners. The inclusive trainings included MSL interpretation and training materials were available in braille to ensure any persons with disabilities were able to fully participate and engage in the learning process. REFAM also included people with disabilities in the design process and supported deaf and blind facilitators to deliver the trainings to teachers at the district level.

REFAM worked in partnership and in close collaboration with the MOE and OPDs, resulting in local capacity building and sustainable ways to continue to expand UDL to scale further. Our hope is that REFAM has shifted the tide in Malawi towards a more equitable world and inclusive education for all.

Author

• Betty Wisiki, Juarez & Associates