Merging Eurocentric and Afrocentric Paradigms to Support People Living With Disabilities in the Schooling System

Abstract

Inclusive education for children with disabilities is yet to be realized despite numerous international, regional, and continental policies and conventions. The authors of the chapter present that African polices are usually developed based on international treaties, which—although they do consider disability issues which are common across the globe when making presentations on disability policies—may not necessarily adequately consider the nuances specific to the African context. As a result, Eurocentric paradigms, which are often excluding and marginalizing to other worldviews, have been unsuccessful, and therefore require to be used in conjuction with Afrocentric, context-specific paradigms. The authors specifically propose “ubuntu” as a potential framework that can facilitate the achievement of inclusion for children with disabilities in education due to its strong link to interconnection and human dignity, and its emphasis on one's true human potential being attributed through collaboration with others.