Examining USAID’s inclusive education programming using anti-colonial theory and discrit

• In Event: Reframing Disability and Inclusion: Critical, Anti-Colonial, and Rights-Based Perspectives in Global Education

Proposal

Globally, students with disabilities are largely excluded from formal
education (Armstrong et al., 2010; Connor et al, 2015; UNICEF. 2021). Lower income
countries—especially in the Global South—encounter numerous educational challenges such as limited resources, poverty, civil unrest, and health epidemics, hindering any progress made toward more equitable education. Foreign aid agencies, such as USAID, offer “solutions” to promote educational policies prescribing “inclusive education” as the antidote to educational systems entrenched in White supremacy and eugenics beliefs (Ferri, et al., 2023).
As society strives to develop equitable and inclusive education spaces, the world remains in a precarious state. The onslaught of conflicts and natural disasters have led to heightened levels of insecurity and increasing numbers of individuals with disabilities (Morales, 2025; United Nations, 2023). There are approximately “1.3 billion” individuals globally with disabilities and around “240 million” are children and youth (UNICEF, 2022). These cited numbers do not capture every child nor account for the ongoing critical events that have led to higher numbers of children experiencing trauma and finding themselves in altered states emotionally, mentally, and physically (Morales, 2025; United Nations, 2023). Children with disabilities have historically and currently been denied their basic human rights and access to formal education. It is estimated that close to 50 percent of children with disabilities are at high risk of never attending school (UNICEF, 2022).
Inclusive education (IE) conceptually aims to develop and provide formal educational opportunities for all learners (Armstrong et al., 2010; Graham et al., 2024). Yet some scholars in education, argue that the ambiguous ways that inclusive education has been defined, understood, and implemented all over the world lead to various interpretations and may not address the root causes of inequity and lack of quality education for our most marginalized learners (Armstrong et al., 2010; Graham et al., 2024). Lower income countries—especially in the Global South—that have signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2006) and began developing their own inclusive education legislation, encounter numerous challenges.
As countries in the Global South are reeling from the negative impacts of colonial legacy and current forms of colonialism, foreign organizations and agencies then become a prominent presence offering “solutions” to mitigate issues and promote educational policies alongside their prospective country’s values and agendas (Norris, 2021). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was one of the prominent organizations offering inclusive educational programming to various countries and warrants an examination of its offerings. Given the current United States government attempts to roll back all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and completely dismantle federal agencies like USAID, documenting the conceptualization and operationalization of inclusive education in foreign aid programming holds heightened significance.
The purpose of this study is to examine how inclusive education programming was conceptualized and operationalized by USAID, for learners with disabilities, around the world. Along with gaining a better understanding of how inclusive education is understood from the U.S. perspective and how IE programming was designed and implemented by USAID, this project will address the serious tension in the international development sector between the countries giving aid from the Global North and the countries receiving aid in the Global South. Foreign aid—similar to education—remains entrenched in White supremacist ideals (Moyo, 2009). Aid from the U.S. is largely distributed to countries in the Global South with conditionalities (Moyo, 2009). Too often foreign aid agencies, like USAID, have forgotten about children with disabilities (USAID, n.d.). It is necessary to shed light on what inclusive education policies and programming were being developed prior to the dismantling of USAID (USAID, n.d.).
The intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, identity, sexuality, disability, nationality, citizenship status, language, religion, and sect in educational contexts need to be examined in conjunction with the negative impacts of unequal power dynamics. When examining inclusive education programming from U.S. donor organizations, it is crucial to not only address the longstanding and ongoing issue of coloniality within the international development sector, but to also challenge the power disparity that exists in the education sector as well. As Dei (2006) rightly stated, “Colonialism is not dead” and its prevalence in every factor of our modern world—especially within education and international development sectors—severely impacts some of the most marginalized learners: students with disabilities (p. 2). Therefore, this work will be approached using a conceptual framework encompassing a Dis/Ability Studies Critical Race Theory (DisCrit).


Research questions:
How did USAID conceptualize and operationalize inclusive education for learners with disabilities in international development programs?
What types of inclusive education policies and programs were promoted and how were they implemented?


The sample of participants (up to 20) for this study will consist of individuals previously employed by USAID and one of their contractor organizations, as well as key stakeholders involved in inclusive education and in international development. Participants will be from diverse backgrounds, must be 18 years or older to participate and may also include former employees from other countries. Participants will be recruited to this study through purposeful sampling, specifically through snowball sampling and based on a set of criteria (Merriam, 2009; Yin, 2018). Potential key participants have been identified through informal pilot interviews and the remaining participants will be established from their contacts and networks.

Data will be collected through semi-structured 60 minute interviews with open-ended questions, and from documents (Yin, 2018). The interviews will be conducted virtually through the Zoom platform from a set of approved questions. The types of documents that will be part of the data include: established policies, policy drafts, program proposals, internal and external reports, education materials, newsletters, newspaper articles, and social media posts (text, images, and audiovisual content). Since USAID’s website has been shut down, it will be more challenging to access this information. I am relying on documents I had downloaded from the website before it was taken down as well as information that was saved by other sources. I will have preliminary findings to discuss by the time of the conference.

Author

• Eden M. Rivera, University of Maryland, College Park