Right to Inclusive Education of Persons With Disabilities: the Case of Addis Ababa University School of Medicine
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Date
2023-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Inclusive education (IE) implies an education system that is open to all learners, regardless of
poverty, gender, ethnic background, language, learning difficulties or impairments. It
emphasizes that all children and students can learn which requires the identification of barriers
that hinder learning and reducing or removing these barriers in schools, vocational training,
higher education, teacher education and education management.1 Furthermore, IE is the result
of a process of continuing and pro-active commitment to eliminate barriers impeding the right to
education, together with changes to culture, policy and practice of regular schools to
accommodate and effectively include all students.2
As a result, there are a plethora of normative frameworks recognizing the rights to IE from the
international to national level to which Ethiopia is committed to include IE as of rights to
persons with disabilities. Nevertheless, the practice or implementation of IE in the country is not
satisfactory.
The purpose of this research is to assess the implementation of the right to IE of persons with
disabilities in AAUSM. To this end, qualitative research methodologies were administered. A
case study was employed as a design. Interviews and non-participant observation were used as
data-gathering tools. The primary sources of data were those disabled students who were
rejected from the school due to their disability, AAUSNSC, AAUCHS, AAUSM, MoH, MoE,
MoWSA, FEAPD, and ENAPPD. Secondary sources of data were Media, Websites, letters, and
documents regarding the right to education of persons with disabilities.
Finally, the qualitative data were interpreted and analyzed. The core findings of the study are;
1st) the right to IE of PWD is not implemented in AAUSM. 2nd) the government is not
discharging its obligation regarding IE in AASUSM. 3rd) the barriers are arising from both the
practice and the admission requirements of the school.