Facilitating the Participation of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Development Centres in Malawi: Developing a Sustainable Staff Training Programme

Abstract

This article explores the development of a sustainable training programme supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood, education and care (ECEC) centres in Malawi. This programme is based on a review of literature of curriculum, pedagogy and teaching approaches in ECEC in sub-Saharan Africa, alongside a review of national policy documents. The training was designed to enable staff to value the inclusion of children with disabilities in ECEC centres, as well as suggesting practical ways to do so. We set out our response to the gap in training of ECEC staff through the development of a supplementary integrated training programme, which, whilst respectful of the curriculum, policy and practice of Malawi, challenged staff to consider ways of including children with disabilities (CWD) and their families. We suggest this is a pragmatic and sustainable model that could be applied to training in other ECEC settings across the region in sub-Saharan Africa. It concludes with guiding principles for training those working in ECEC with young children with disabilities in low-income countries.

Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Disaster Management

“…The transition would require a series of disaster management training courses and exercises [ 36 , 37 ]. Planned training and exercises are implemented among children with disabilities to achieve the goal of disability inclusion.…”

“…Without fundamentally addressing the matter of poverty as a core issue, disability inclusion may not be easily implemented, according to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) [20] (pp. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. However, the majority of developing nations have treated the issue of disabilities as a problem for individuals under the influence of a poor economy.…”

The Role of Parenting Interventions in Optimizing School Readiness for Children With Disabilities in Low and Middle Income Settings

“…The relationship between disability, education, health and social protection will not be the same for all; children with disabilities are a highly diverse and heterogeneous group. Nevertheless, they experience limited access to education, including ECD centers, as these centers are not necessarily able to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities through their curriculum programs ( 24 ). Disparities also exist between regions of the world in how supports are established for children with disabilities and their families.…”

“…Children with disabilities in LMICs can be excluded from school due to parent and caregiver fear of not being able to provide adequate care, teachers being overwhelmed with the presence of children with disabilities and lack of training on inclusion, or classes being simply too large to pay proper attention to the child's needs ( 24 ). Families of children with disabilities are often unable to visit the school before the start of the academic year, thus creating significant difficulties for a smooth transition into school for the child.…”

“…Parenting interventions for parents of children with disabilities should recognize the inherent value of the experience that the parent possesses. They need to be respectful of how children are brought up and educated in the local culture, and build on the local practices, knowledge and strengths that exist in early child education whilst collaborating with local training providers, community and ECD services ( 24 ). Active engagement between the health, social welfare and education sectors at all levels is required.…”