Inclusive Education in Kenya: Brian’s Story

A Doctor in Training

Gideon Mendel / Leonard Cheshire

Several years ago, Brian, who lives in Western Kenya, was so demoralised by constant teasing and unkindness by the other pupils that he had left school completely. Today, however, Brian is back in school and hopes to become a doctor so he can help others.

The youngest of seven children being raised by a widowed mother, Brian developed walking difficulties when he was eight. Although his mother suspected that he had polio, no diagnosis was ever made. He began missing school regularly because of how he was treated and finally his family decided to keep him at home.

Then, Leonard Cheshire Disability began an inclusive education project in his area. The project began by raising awareness of people with disabilities in the community and soon a community health worker had approached Brian’s mother. The worker referred Brian to the Cheshire Disability Resource Centre in Oriang where an occupational therapist recommended that he be fitted with a strong jacket to support his spine.

At the same time, Brian started at Oriang primary school, where the children actively learn to live and study with others who have disabilities. ‘I like my new school’, Brian says. ‘My classmates don’t stare at me and they play with me. The school is disability friendly; there is support from my teachers and the rest of the community. I am happier here.’

The change in Brian is striking: thanks to the spinal jacket his walking is more controlled and he falls down less frequently. From a child who hid at home, Brian has grown into an eager student. About his ambition to become a doctor, Brian says, ‘I want to help many people, particularly those with disabilities’.

How Leonard Cheshire Disability Supports Inclusion

Leonard Cheshire Disability’s Oriang Cheshire Inclusive Education Project in Nyanza Province, Western Kenya, has increased the participation of all students in schools, including those with disabilities. It runs in one model school in each of 10 districts and provides an example for neighbouring schools of how inclusive education works. The project is a partnership between Leonard Cheshire Disability, Cheshire Homes Kenya, and the Government of Kenya Ministry of Education.

Before the project was first piloted in five schools, only 45 out of 2,700 pupils had disabilities. Over the project’s life, this changed dramatically as it reached over 600 children with disabilities and, indirectly, approximately 10,000 other children, parents and community members.

45 teachers were also trained in special needs education, through Kenya’s teacher training institutions, which facilitated a change in their teaching style to learner-centred approaches, including helping children learn to teach each other. These enable children’s voices to be heard and allow them to participate actively in their own learning.

Work with the community extended beyond education to include home-based activities through which trained community health workers formed a link between schools and families. They continue to administer basic physical therapy activities and help people access primary health care. At the same time, they train parents in how to do these themselves at home.