Inclusive Approach to Education for Children With Disabilities

Abstract

BRAC, a leading international development organization, has been working to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities to education through its inclusive education program. This article discusses the BRAC approach in Bangladesh and aims to identify its strategies that are effective in facilitating inclusion. It employed a qualitative research approach where data were collected from students with disabilities, their parents, and BRAC's teachers and staffs using qualitative data collection techniques. The results show that the disability-inclusive policy and all other activities are strongly monitored by a separate unit under BRAC Education Program (BEP). It mainly focuses on sensitizing its teachers and staff to the issue through training, discussing the issue in all meetings and ensuring effective use of a working manual developed by the unit. Group-based learning and involving them in income generating activities were also effective. The findings of the study would be useful for policy makers and other national and international organizations that are working on the issue.

Challenges in Primary Level Inclusive Education in Bangladesh

“…In other words, collaboration and coordination among all concerned stakeholders of inclusive schooling cannot be over emphasized. Professional knowledge, tolerance, attitude, and ability to leverage the cause of CWDs among teachers can probably be enhanced through appropriate instructional reform in professional training that encourages attitudinal change while promoting equity and inclusion, and social mobilization to bring about visible change in the overall management of CWDs [17,18,19,22,23]. Pre-service training of teachers on inclusive schooling to overcome the existing challenges is called for.…”