Awareness and Understanding: Promoting the Social Model of Disability and Access for all through Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

• In Event: Implementation of the Right to Education for Learners with Disabilities: Lessons Learned from USAID’s Multi-Country Study on Inclusive Education

Proposal

Adopting a social model approach to disability can build awareness of disability and a willingness to envision and promote the inclusive education vision. Social Model of Disability is defined by USAID as a rights-based approach to disability that understands disability as a social construct, not a specific condition. Disability is the inability of society to remove barriers (environmental, institutional, and attitudinal) that inhibit the full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities. Projects evaluated under the MCSIE demonstrated the power of promoting the social model of disability in transforming norms and understanding of disability.

In Nepal, this was accomplished through the use of a screening tool based on the social model of disability led to positive changes in awareness and understanding. Many stakeholders in Nepal experienced significantly increased awareness of the presence of disability in schools and a shift in perception from a child with a disability being “a problem” to the school system being responsible in creating inclusive environments for that child. One teacher stated, “Yes, there is change in perspective. Before we did not know what kind of disability students are facing, or students [are] struggling [for a] reason we did not know, but now after the training, we understood the students’ difficulties. So, we identified the problem students were facing and accordingly we dealt with the problem … and gave required materials and support, which brought good results in their studies.” Administrators and the OPD staff who supervised implementation also noted that teachers have become more patient and supportive with students they had previously assumed were badly behaved.
In Malawi, teacher and administrator trainings adopted a a social model of disability that focused on accessibility and school responsibilities toward inclusion. A focus on universal design supported teachers in thinking about ways to both make education accessible for all learners and individualize as needed. UDL was not framed as a disability-specific intervention, but a strategy that encourages teachers to use multiple means of engagement, action/response, and representation in order to meet the educational needs of diverse learners. Our study found that teacher training that focused on inclusive pedagogies and practices (like UDL) helped avoid activities that medicalize or pathologize disability. Instead, these inclusive trainings helped teachers focus on what they can do to create inclusive environments.

Author

• Christopher Johnstone, University of Minnesota