Inclusive Education and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs): Innovations from Malawi
摘要
In this chapter, we highlight the various practical and innovative ways in which organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and other partners are playing a critical role in how inclusive education is being implemented throughout Malawi. Throughout the chapter, we describe the complexities of disability and inclusive education in Malawi, and highlight ways in which OPDs collaborate to support many different practical aspects of how students with disabilities are supported in schools. As practitioners and disability advocates not working in academia, we offer our personal and professional experiences related to inclusive education in Malawi, and invite readers to reflect on the innovative practices we describe. Some of these practices include: (a) collaboration between schools and OPDs, (b) developing technical working group partnerships, (b) promoting inclusive School Improvement Plans (SIPs), (c) Malawi’s Itinerant Teaching Program, and (e) building disability-friendly infrastructure. At the conclusion of the chapter, we pose key questions we have designed to deepen readers’ understanding and engagement with these critical issues, particularly within the framework of Malawi’s National Reading Program.