African Theories of Disabilities in the Schooling System

Abstract

Questions have been posed elsewhere on whether there are special theories that account for uniquely African experiences. This chapter tackles the question of African theories in relation to disability and schooling. The chapter draws from literature and subjective experiences of those who self-describe as Africans to arrive at a nuanced approach to making sense of tensions found in African contexts when theorising disability in a schooling system. The ensuing product is a collection of understandings, compiled as narratives and discourses, which demonstrate that African theories of disability are complex and evolving. Drawing from a Southern African experience that features stories from Mosa who grew up in Lesotho and Thabo who grew up in South Africa, the chapter supports the importance of theorising for action through a deconstruction of local and subjective conceptions of disability.