Experiences with inclusion and stigmatization in Kumasi, Ghana: We fear what we don't know

We have spent this week in meetings with students with disabilities, as well as their parents, teachers, and school administrators, in Kumasi, Ghana. The research project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and is part of a four year project to explore inclusive education for students with disabilities in Ghana. An anticipated outcome of the project is the development of training resources to help teachers foster inclusive classrooms. Our last research trip to Ghana was in December 2019, just a few months before the Covid-19 pandemic (see previous post).

The activities of this week have led to new insights about inclusive education not only in Ghana but also in Canada. Here are some quotes which really resonated with me:

"It [disability] feels like a punishment."

"We [teachers] are professional beggars [since they have to beg for supplies and resources]."

"When a parent gives birth to a disabled child, you have to really try or your child will die."

"Teachers with disabilities feel rejected."

"I have not had a salary for two years."

"We're draining the family finances."

"If not limited by space, the numbers of students with disabilities we would have would be huge."

"We fear what we don't know."

Research can seem like a "cold" and sanitized process. However, qualitative research that centres the stories and experiences of participants makes the research come alive. Real people are telling compelling stories of challenging, mundane, joyful, everyday, and traumatic experiences.

One 18 year old was burned in an accident at a young age. She was left with significant physical limitations. Yet, she is completing secondary school and is looking for ways to ensure a brighter future.

A child in primary school is able to attend classes because her parents and teachers have committed to ensuring that she can attend school despite her physical restrictions.

A university student told us about how access to a powered wheelchair has allowed him to move across the university campus.

Yet, these are not stories of inspiration. There are daily struggles. Not everyone gets the chance to remain in school. Yesterday, a principal told us of a single-parent who has had to remove her child with a disability from the school because she cannot pay the fees. A common theme across the stories we have heard is of stigma and discrimination that children and young people with disabilities have encountered (and continue to encounter).

There is no doubt that we have made massive progress in supporting students with disabilities in schools. Not that long ago, students with disabilities in Canada and in Ghana were ostracized from schools or placed in segregated settings. This still happens in many parts of Ghana. In Canada, children still experience segregation from other children. But progress is being made. We must continue to fight for the right of every child to belong in their community school.

Returning to international research after Covid-19

I have been "missing in action" as far as writing in this blog for the past two years. I blame Covid-19 but it might also be a reflection of the sense of "pause" that much of my life has been under during this time. 

My international research projects took many different directions during Covid-19. One large project in Haiti, funded by the Canadian government (SSHRC), has been on hold since I am not able to currently travel to Haiti and that project requires more interaction on-the-ground with partners. Another one that involves Haitian partners continued but we were able to engage in research meetings in other countries. Work in other contexts such as Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, and Ethiopia were all on hold. Two other projects involving more remote-based work, one in Mauritius and the other in sub-Saharan Africa, were able to be successfully completed by mid-2022.

This fall, opportunities for travel started ramping up in earnest. I traveled to Mauritius to work with the Special Education Needs Authority (Ministry of Education) in launching their new effort to support all children, regardless of need or strength, in their neighourhood schools. Being on-the-ground in Mauritius reminded me of the incredible privilege involved in international research partnerships.

I am now in Ghana, about to board a flight to Kumasi, where we will be working on an inclusive education project. In fact, the last international trip I took prior to the Covid-19 pandemic was to Ghana where we worked in Accra and Tamale. Being back in Ghana is wonderful but bitter-sweeet. Since we were last here in December 2019, our key research partner in Tamale, Sayibu Imoro, has passed away. He was a huge champion for inclusive education.

After returning to Canada at the end of February, I will be traveling to St. Lucia to meet with the partners on an IDRC-funded project. We have just submitted a proposal to SSHRC to extend/scale the project on teacher innovation that we have been working on in St. Lucia and Haiti. If funded, it would enable us to support innovation projects in education in other contexts in the Caribbean.

Covid-19 has certainly caused many pauses in international research projects and, unfortunately, many more negative and sobering consequences. However, a pause, just like a time-out in basketball, can be a time to reflect, re-group, and re-strategize on key steps forward. I'm very thankful for the privilege to be engaged in re-imagining international research partnerships and projects going forward.