Handbook Of Research On Creating Spaces For African Epistemologies In The Inclusive Education Discourse

Students with disabilities who are not able to perform to the best of their abilities often find themselves learning in inaccessible environments and subjected to increased stress levels due to the haphazard provisioning of education characterized by physical, communicative, and unsuitable teaching and learning approaches. Very often this is a result of various shortcomings including unfair assessment practices. Misconceptions and a lack of knowledge with regard to the implementation of inclusive education detract from the successful admission of students with disabilities and their retention and active participation. The Handbook of Research on Creating Spaces for African Epistemologies in the Inclusive Education Discourse explores the concept of inclusive education in an African context. It advocates for the monitoring and evaluation of inclusive education and proposes interventions where reasonable accommodation or lack of accessibility is a reason for students with disabilities to not benefit from this system. Covering topics such as barriers to learning, rural schools, and student support, this major reference work is an essential resource for administrators, advocates for students with disabilities, policymakers, researchers, pre-service teachers, educators, academicians, and students.

In the vast expanse of education, a pervasive issue remains in the marginalization and lack of visibility of individuals with disabilities. Despite a strong desire for inclusivity, recent research suggests that fewer than 5% of children with disabilities in 51 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are enrolled in primary school. This exclusion is not solely in enrollment numbers; even those who manage to attend face learning environments ill-equipped to adapt to their needs, leading to further isolation. Girls with disabilities, in particular, endure heightened vulnerability to abuse, reflecting a systemic failure to provide an environment that fosters equality, dignity, and respect for all. The Handbook of Research on Inclusive and Accessible Education emerges as an inspiration for change, providing a profound solution to the persistent issue of exclusion. The book encapsulates a collective effort to reimagine education. It advocates for a paradigm shift—moving away from the confinement of special schools and towards inclusive, mainstream settings. By addressing controversies, sharing successes, and outlining prospects, the book serves as a comprehensive guide for special school governing bodies, curriculum advisors, university lecturers, and all stakeholders committed to reshaping education.

This book thus explores the role of African epistemologies in addressing the myriad challenges posed by the inclusive education system in Africa and other contexts. In recent years, the shift from special education to inclusive education has had a significant impact on the provision of education and the education system as a whole in Africa. The impact has been felt in all institutions of learning from low to high, public and private, government, and across departments of education. Inclusive education, if shaped correctly by using African epistemologies, would empower learners to attain the relevant skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes for their own intellectual growth and personal development.

Children living with disabilities face hardships of many kinds that make it impossible for them to access quality education in the same way as their peers in the schooling system. All children are entitled to quality education and a supportive school environment that allows them to develop to their full potential irrespective of their disabilities. However, different factors make it difficult for many learners who live with disabilities to access, participate, and succeed in the schooling system. The Handbook of Research on Shifting Paradigms of Disabilities in the Schooling System focuses on the global trends in education that require the total eradication of every form of impediment in the process of accessing quality education and lifelong learning for people living with disabilities. Rooted in the philosophy of equal rights, human dignity, and social justice, access to quality education for all has led to the current drive for inclusive education. Covering topics such as inclusive schooling systems, visual impairments, and emotional disabilities, this major reference work is an essential resource for students and faculty of higher education, administrators of both K-12 and higher education, government officials, policymakers, non-profit organizations, researchers, and academicians.

A global citizen is an individual who believes in a public responsibility for their local community to grow and interconnect amongst the world’s diverse people and things. Global citizenship education is a fast-moving process that continues to intertwine communities all over the world. As we move toward a more global world, the improvement in education, health, poverty rates, and standard of living should come with it. This global world must be a place where people are aware of what is going on and can have an impact as well. The Handbook of Research on Promoting Global Citizenship Education explores various ways to empower educators to design and implement a curriculum that incorporates global citizen education. Covering a range of topics such as global issues and academic migration, this major reference work is ideal for academicians, industry professionals, policymakers, researchers, scholars, instructors, and students.

This open access book explores the intersection of gender and climate change, suggests ways in which innovative technologies can accelerate climate relief actions, and offers strategies for integrating climate change initiatives into national policies and planning. By examining the devastating consequences of climate change on women and girls throughout the continent, the authors pose a crucial question: Does gender matter in climate change discussions in Africa? Political and social traditions have burdened women with greater vulnerability to the impacts of climate-related natural disasters, including violence, displacement, poverty, famine and lack of access to clean water. However, women are also key to effective and inclusive climate mitigation, adaptation, and decision-making. The authors provide a compelling discourse that identifi es the social and economic benefi ts for all citizens when genderinclusive policies shape equitable and targeted action plans, from mitigationto adaptation and funding. The UN’s SDG 13 calls for urgent action and commitment to combat climate change. The implementable and action-oriented propositions presented in this book will be of interest to students, educators, practitioners, third-sector actors, and policymakers committed to gender equality, sustainable development and climate action in Africa.

To cope with the pandemic, many educational institutions in the United States have resorted to emergency remote teaching (ERT). Distance/online learning is a complex process in terms of the design, analysis, and time taken to develop and implement courses and programs. Having been around for decades, it has evolved and morphed into a multidimensional procedure that needs meticulous planning, evolution, and evaluation. It provides meaningful learning experiences to students who may not otherwise have the option to attend college. Students of distance/online courses and programs usually choose to join voluntarily, and designers of such programs purposefully plan for them to be online from the start. In contrast, ERT is an emergency/crisis-based need to move teaching and learning to alternative environments until the crisis is averted or ended. Preparing Faculty for Technology Dependency in the Post-COVID-19 Era is a comprehensive guide that focuses on preparing pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and higher education faculty to harness technology dependence in an emergency remote teaching era by discussing current and post-pandemic preparedness. Covering a wide range of topics such as digital reality, teacher preparedness, and technology dependency, this book is crucial for educators, administrators, pre-service teachers, researchers, academicians, and students.