Inclusive Approach to Education for Children With Disabilities

BRAC, a leading international development organization, has been working to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities to education through its inclusive education program. This article discusses the BRAC approach in Bangladesh and aims to identify its strategies that are effective in facilitating inclusion. It employed a qualitative research approach where data were collected from students with disabilities, their parents, and BRAC's teachers and staffs using qualitative data collection techniques. The results show that the disability-inclusive policy and all other activities are strongly monitored by a separate unit under BRAC Education Program (BEP). It mainly focuses on sensitizing its teachers and staff to the issue through training, discussing the issue in all meetings and ensuring effective use of a working manual developed by the unit. Group-based learning and involving them in income generating activities were also effective. The findings of the study would be useful for policy makers and other national and international organizations that are working on the issue.

Influence of Institutional Inclusive Policy on Curriculum Adaptation and Participation of Students With Disabilities on Academic Activities in Public Universities in Kenya

Globally, it is estimated that close to 140 million learners are out of school and among them are those with disabilities as a result of physical, mental and sensory impairments. Out of that number, it is further estimated that 70% of learners with disabilities can attend and benefit from regular education programs as long as effective institutional changes that are guided by sound inclusive policies are done. So, this study examined institutional inclusive policies on curriculum adaptation, and how the policies affect the way Students with Disabilities participate academically. The study was guided by the social model theory of disability. A descriptive research design and a comparative approach were used to scientifically compare curriculum adaptation in Kenyatta and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Universities which were purposively chosen as the sample owing to their longer establishment. Lecturers teaching and Students with Disabilities enrolled in different programs were targeted. The two registrar academics in charge of admission and the two coordinators of the disability offices from both universities were purposively selected. Data collection instruments were interviews, questionnaires, observation guide, focus group discussions and document analysis. The findings showed that the appropriate adaptation of the University curriculum has not been fully made to respond to the diverse academic needs of all learners with various disabilities.

Determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water conservation technologies in dry zones of Central Highlands, Kenya

This study ascertained the socioeconomic determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water conservation technologies in Dry zones of Central Highlands of Kenya involving 400 farming households. Results showed that the majority of the farmers had inadequate knowledge on the use and benefits of soil and water conservation technologies. The socio-economic factors that influence knowledge levels of the knowledge-intensive technologies were education level, gender, perceptions on soil fertility, farmer group membership, access to training, farm size, access to credit, number of livestock kept and access to farm equipment. This implies that there is the need to come up with an all-inclusive policy that can be employed in improving farmer’s level of knowledge through the use of more innovative methods of information dissemination. This can be done by strengthening the existing farmer groups, enhancing extension services, and also formulating gender-friendly policies.

Voices and Evidence from End-users of the GLTV and GLRRP Remote Learning Programme in Ghana. Insights for Inclusive Policy and Programming

An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

Analysis of Policies to Protect the Health of Urban Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Thailand: A Qualitative Study and Delphi Survey

The health of urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) in Bangkok has been neglected and health policies for USAR have not materialized. This study aimed to explore the views of stakeholders on policies to protect URAS well-being in Thailand. This study conducted a mixed-methods approach comprising both in-depth interviews and Delphi survey. The interview findings revealed six main themes: (1) the government position on URAS; (2) opinions on Thailand becoming a party of the 1951 Refugee Convention; (3) NGOs on health promotion for URAS; (4) options on health insurance management for URAS; (5) working potential of URAS; and (6) uncertainty of future life plans for URAS. The Delphi survey showed that URAS should have the right to acquire a work permit and be enrolled in the public insurance scheme managed by the Ministry of Public Health. Moreover, the ideology of national security was more influential than the concept of human rights. The ambiguity of the central authorities’ policy direction to take care of URAS creates haphazard legal interpretations. The Delphi survey findings suggested the need for a more inclusive policy for URAS, however actual policy implementation requires further research on policy feasibility and acceptance by the wider public.

Work From Home, Mental Health and Employee Needs: A pilot study in selected information technology organizations in India

Introduction: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the economy and has resulted in changes to the working arrangements of employees who are based at home and may continue to work from home (WFH). Organizations are expected to develop an inclusive policy for their employees to promote mental health whilst working from home. The aim of this study was to document the impact of WFH on mental health and determine the expectations of employees from their organizations regarding occupational health policy. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the impact of work from home on mental health and to document the mental health support needs of employees. Google form was floated through social media platform to receive the responses. A total of 74 responses were received. Descriptive analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel, while qualitative answers were manually analysed. Results: About 67% employees (n=45) mentioned that their workload has increased significantly during work from home. Thirty five percent (n=26) felt lonely and lost and 47% (n= 34) felt disconnected from the real world, indicating the mental health impact of work from home. Fifty three percent employees (n=40) mentioned that there were no efforts made by their organization to reduce the mental health impact of work from home. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that there is an urgent need to create a comprehensive occupational health and safety policy inclusive of strategies to improve mental health by the organizations in light of “work from home” as a “new-normal”.

Urban Pluvial Flood Management Part 1: Implementing an AHP-TOPSIS Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Method for Stakeholder Integration in Urban Climate and Stormwater Adaptation

Cities are facing increasing pressures to enact adaptation measures due to climate change. While blue-green infrastructure has emerged as a focal adaptation technique for stormwater management, in order to craft adaptation policies cities must consider a multitude of emerging, complex, and competing stakeholder interests around multiple adaptation alternatives. However, accounting for these different interests, analyzing their diverse priorities, and maintaining a transparent decision-making process is not easily achieved within the existing policy frameworks. Here we define and present a combined multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) methods that easily integrates and quantifies stakeholder priorities while remaining accessible for non-experts engaged in the policy-making process. We demonstrate the method’s effectiveness through analyzing opinions about stormwater adaptation in New York City across several stakeholder groups. The method succeeds in integrating quantitative and qualitative judgements, indicating stakeholder preferential differences and allowing for more inclusive policy to be crafted. It can be extended beyond stormwater to many urban climate adaptation decisions facing multi-criteria considerations.

Promosi Inklusi Sosial di Indonesia; Studi Kasus Pada Organisasi Masyarakat Sipil di Kuningan Jawa Barat dan Bulukumba Sulawesi Selatan

This research aims to discuss the success of Lakpesdam PCNU Kuningan and Bulukumba community organizations in promoting and realizing an inclusive society. This research method applies qualitative type and content analysis. These results and discussions show how actors have a shared awareness to promote inclusive policy. The conclusion of this study is the success of community organizations Lakpesdam NU Kuningan and Bulukumba in encouraging inclusive policies, influenced by the skills of actors in inventorying the issues that are key to be invited to cooperate in encouraging the implementation of inclusive policies. The success of both organizations, due to political actors, received full support from religious actors. This study recommends that the paradigm of social inclusion can be a handle for policy makers in designing government development plans and strategy.keywords : Actors, Social Inclusion, policiesAbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk membahas keberhasilan ormas kemasyarakatan Lakpesdam PCNU Kuningan dan Bulukumba dalam mendorong dan mewujudkan masyarakat yang inklusif. Metode penelitian ini menerapkan jenis kualitatif dan analisis isi. Hasil dan pembahasan ini mengemukakan bagaimana aktor-aktor memiliki kesadaran bersama untuk mendorong kebijakan inklusif. Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah Keberhasilan organisasi kemasyarakatan Lakpesdam NU Kuningan dan Bulukumba dalam mendorong kebijakan inklusif, dipengaruhi oleh keterampilan aktor-aktor dalam menginventarisir masalah yang menjadi kunci untuk bisa diajak kerja sama dalam mendorong implementasi kebijakan inklusif. Yang melatar belakangi keberhasilan kedua organisasi tersebut, karena aktor-aktor politik, mendapatkan dukungan yang penuh dari aktor agama. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan, agar paradigma inklusi sosial dapat menjadi pegangan untuk para pemangku kebijakan dalam merancang rencana dan strategi pembangunan pemerintahan.Kata Kunci: Aktor, Inklusi Sosial, kebijakan