Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Segregated educational facilities for children suffering from impairments which had been in existence since the 1930s and 1940s were criticized as too costly, only accessible to few pupils and that children found difficulty integrating with the general population. The inclusive mainstream education system has therefore been touted as providing equity for all persons irrespective of their special needs, talents, backgrounds, and levels of impairments. This study explores the school environment as well as the spatial experiences of 30 children with disabilities enrolled in seven piloted inclusive schools (with special educational resources) and in 11 students in seven purposively selected non-inclusive schools. After obtaining ethical clearance and preliminary fieldwork carried out in each school, the process began with audits which explored spatial obstacles in the school environment. The next process involved the administration of a questionnaire to all the 41 pupils attending inclusive schools and non-inclusive schools to explore their socio-spatial experiences. These students included pupils with vision impairments, attention deficit, hearing impairment and autism. Finally, face to face interviews were carried out with seven pupils suffering from disabilities and seven teachers to further explore issues emerging from the survey. The research found that, despite challenges identified in all the inclusive schools and non-inclusive schools alike in terms of the appropriateness of the approach routes, surfaces, lack of bi-directional doors, unsuitable furniture, and slippery surfaces, the inclusive schools provided better educational environment than their non-inclusive counterparts. This points to the need for the government to fully implement the inclusive education program.