Presentation Title
FORMAL EDUCATION FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS WITH DISABILITIES IN GHANA: A POWERFUL WEAPON TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Abstract
Abstract
Women with disabilities (WWD) from countries around the world, including Ghana, deserve the right to a public education, but are often deprived of it. The World Report on Disability estimates that literacy rates for WWD may be as low as 1%. The World Bank Report also reports that more than one billion people may experience some form of disability, with as many as one in five experiencing significant disabilities. In developing countries, the prevalence of disability and its impacts on a wide range of developmental outcomes are usually more significant than they are in countries with well-established educational and social systems. Children and women with disabilities are especially disadvantaged with respect to school enrollment, educational attainment, and learning. The current study used a critical, feminist phenomenological lens (Alcoff, 2000 p.39) to explore the access and experiences with education for ten Ghanaian women with disabilities. Using methods associated with narrative inquiry, this paper reports findings related to the women’s positive and negative experiences, as well as recommendations for improvements to practice and policy to help remove barriers to access to education.
Keywords: disability, women, education, cultural barriers, attitudinal change
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Katherine Shepherd
Secondary Mentor Name
Winnie Looby
Graduate Student Mentors
Faith Yakubian, Rebecca Haslam and Mika Moore
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
I would like to acknowledge my dissertation team: Katharine Shepherd, Ed.D., Maureen Neumann, Ph.D. and Colby Kervick, Ed.D
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Education and Social Services
Program/Major
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
FORMAL EDUCATION FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS WITH DISABILITIES IN GHANA: A POWERFUL WEAPON TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Abstract
Women with disabilities (WWD) from countries around the world, including Ghana, deserve the right to a public education, but are often deprived of it. The World Report on Disability estimates that literacy rates for WWD may be as low as 1%. The World Bank Report also reports that more than one billion people may experience some form of disability, with as many as one in five experiencing significant disabilities. In developing countries, the prevalence of disability and its impacts on a wide range of developmental outcomes are usually more significant than they are in countries with well-established educational and social systems. Children and women with disabilities are especially disadvantaged with respect to school enrollment, educational attainment, and learning. The current study used a critical, feminist phenomenological lens (Alcoff, 2000 p.39) to explore the access and experiences with education for ten Ghanaian women with disabilities. Using methods associated with narrative inquiry, this paper reports findings related to the women’s positive and negative experiences, as well as recommendations for improvements to practice and policy to help remove barriers to access to education.
Keywords: disability, women, education, cultural barriers, attitudinal change