The Challenges and Factors Facilitating the Inclusive Education Policy Implementation in Ghana: Policy Stakeholders’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Research has shown that people with disabilities (PWDs) are significantly disadvantaged within the areas of school enrolment, educational attainment, and learning, particularly in developing countries. In Ghana, the Inclusive Education (IE) Policy was established in 2006 to ensure the full participation of all PWDs in schools. The purpose of this study was to document the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the IE Policy of Ghana. The research employed a case study in which eight education professionals and leaders (major stakeholders) were selected for their key roles in forming and implementing the IE Policy of Ghana and individually interviewed. The transcript of each participant’s interview was coded and thematically analysed, after which a cross-case analysis was conducted to identify common themes. The findings of this study point to a number of implications for future policy and practice, including the critical need for accurate data on PWDs in the Ghanaian school system that policymakers, faculty, and administrators can use to better support PWDs.

KEYWORDS:

• Equity
• inclusive education
• policy implementation
• sense of belonging
• social justice
• universal design learning

Acknowledgments

I thank Prof. Katharine Shepherd for editing this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).