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Decolonising inclusive education: an example from a research in Colombia

KAMENOPOULOU, Leda
2020

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Inclusive education is a concept born in the global North. Research has shown that its relatively recent but widespread adoption by countries in the global South is often done without consideration of the actual needs of these contexts, and by solely focusing on strategies for learners with disabilities. As a result, inclusive education has been criticised as a neo-colonial project in need of renovation. The aim of this article is to show how research can broaden the understanding of inclusive education and make it more relevant to southern contexts. Drawing on an ethnographic research on inclusive education in Colombia, I present some unique examples of vulnerability, but also experiences of belonging in the direst of circumstances. I conclude that in order to decolonise the concept of inclusive education and make its practice sustainable in southern contexts, we need more culturally sensitive research to inform our understanding of these under-researched spaces.

 

Disability & the Global South (DGS), 2020, Vol. 7 No. 1

Challenges and concerns

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This article follows on from several case studies presented on the Reproductive Health Outlook website. It draws together key issues based on a review of recent literature and project experiences. The main themes are around the significant financial, political, cultural and technological obstacles that affect the establishment of sustainable programmes, especially for computer-based ICTs. These obstacles have been identified as lack of affordability, lack of human capacity, lack of awareness of the benefits of ICT, lack of ability to use ICT proficiently, and lack of content suitable for local residents. ICTs that rely on access to the Internet need good-quality access to be truly useful

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