“If We Had an Option, We Wouldn’t Be Here”: Revisiting Inclusive Education for Learners with Visual Disabilities in Ghana

Abstract

Following a long history of segregated special education for children with disabilities, recent decades have witnessed a move by the global community to promote inclusive education. Successive Ghanaian governments have made some effort towards implementation of various forms of integrated and/or inclusive education for learners with disabilities. This paper reports partial findings from a broader study that explored inclusive education in Ghana. Although integrated senior high schools have been in existence in Ghana for decades, some challenges have persisted over the years. Using a qualitative research design, 21 learners with visual disabilities in two integrated senior high schools in Ghana were sampled. Data was collected using individual in-depth interviews and transcribed interviews were analyzed using thematic network analysis. The challenges disclosed by the participants are discussed under three broad themes: the physical environment; negative attitudes from some peers and teachers without disabilities; as well as challenges related to teaching and learning. The persistence of these challenges in contemporary Ghana is a call on all stakeholders to reflect and take action towards enhancing the experience of inclusive education by learners with visual disabilities in the country.