Education for Children with Disabilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Developing a Sense of Belonging

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book presents insights into the lived realities of children with disabilities in primary schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It examines specific cultural and societal characteristics of Ethiopia that influence the education of children with disabilities. The book presents findings drawn from interviews with, and participant observation of the schoolchildren, family members, teachers and other “experts”, and places these findings in a cultural-historical context. The multidimensional approach taken allows for, on the one hand, the provision of a historical grounding of the book, explaining the main historical junctures and their implications for education, and the discussion of the role of culture and society as barriers and facilitators of education. On the other hand, it gives the book a more personal angle, allowing the reader to gain insight into what it means to feel like a family, develop a sense of belo nging, and trying to move toward educational equity.  .

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. How to Make Sense of “Developing a Sense of Belonging”  through “Feeling like a Family” in the Light of Cultural and Societal Backgrounds -- 2. Three Reasons for Dealing with Disability, Education and the Majority Word -- 3. Facts and Challenges regarding Grounded Theory, the ICF and Ethical Issues -- 4. Reality Bites: Listening to Children, Parents, Teachers and Other Experts -- 5. The Core Category:  Feeling Like a Family -- 6. Generation of Theory -- 7. Concluding Remarks Related to the Study -- 8. Critical Reflections on the Study -- 9. Integrating the Perspective of the Capability Approach -- 10. Inclusive Education and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) -- 11. Appendix: All about Working with the Data -- References.