The aims of the research were twofold, namely, investigate challenges that hindered the implementation of inclusive education in Ethiopia and develop a framework that can enhance the inclusion of children with disabilities (CwDs). The ecology of human development has served as the theoretical lens underpinning this study to discover challenges that hindered the implementation of inclusive education. These barriers were also investigated from micro, meso, exo, and macro perspectives in the system. With this, I employed qualitative approach under the hegemony of constructivism paradigm. The hermeneutic design of the study enabled me to build knowledge about the barriers that hindered the implementation of inclusive education. Subsequently, using semi-structured interview and focus group discussion as instrument, I listened to experts in education, school supervisors, professionals in SNE and education vice heads. Thereafter, the data analysis went by transcribing the recorded interview verbatim. Then, using the transcribed and chunked data, I mapped the range and nature of phenomena, created typologies and found out associations between themes with a view to provide explanations for the findings. The process of mapping and interpretation was also guided by the original research aims as well as by the themes that have emerged from the data themselves. The participants revealed that the challenges to implement inclusive education ranged from the absence of mandatory national inclusive policy to the low income of the families of CwDs. Therefore, lack of collaboration among stakeholders of education, misconception of inclusive education, shortage of trained teachers, poor allocation of finance, poor school infrastructure and lack of mandatory inclusive policy were the few identified barriers among others. Finally, I have recommended collaborative effort among stakeholders to ensure inclusion of CwDs. / Inclusive Education / D. Phil.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T16:19:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 bibliotecaDISS.pdf: 37142 bytes, checksum: 083aa1c735cca8e75432a7af14e6f682 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of this study is to analyze a research experience involving a group of visually impaired people in an inclusion process through contemporary art, with emphasis on these students learning process. In order to achieve this purpose, data from the Oficina de Arte: reflexões contemporâneas ( Art Workshop: contemporary reflections ) were collected and analyzed. a total of eight people participated in the ten meetings of this three-month workshop. This analysis is the result of reflections that came up during the period as an undergraduate student in a university extension project with a visually impaired group of people. This project entailed some mediation in an art museum, where it was possible to verify the non-presence of this audience in such places. To carry this study, a participative research of qualitative nature was applied. Therefore, data collected from the subjects researched; an investigation of contemporary art and its materials, poetics, contexts and works accessible to the visually impaired, and a pedagogical approach were all taken into consideration. The basic tools and materials used in contemporary art were adapted and analyzed as knowledge mediators in the workshop. For the investigation of the accessibility and inclusion of this audience, the participation of sighted people was requested in the same workshop. Thus, it was possible to establish relationships in the investigation with what concerns the learning process through contemporary art. This data analysis verified the following aspects: visually impaired people are able to appreciate contemporary art through multisensory learning and artwork that requires little or no adaptation; the inclusion may take place in art classes in formal and non-formal learning, with approaches that engage both visually impaired and sighted people / O objeto deste estudo é a análise de uma experiência de pesquisa com público com deficiência visual e sua inclusão por meio da arte contemporânea, com foco nas aprendizagens realizadas pelos estudantes. Foram, para tanto, coletados e analisados dados a partir da Oficina de Arte: reflexões contemporâneas , que contou com a participação de oito pessoas, em dez encontros, em um período de três meses. O presente estudo originou-se de inquietações surgidas no período de estudante de licenciatura e no trabalho em extensão universitária em um projeto com público deficiente visual, no qual ocorreram mediações em um museu de arte, possibilitando constatar a não frequência deste público nestes espaços. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo adotou-se a pesquisa participante, de natureza qualitativa. Assim sendo, organizaram-se os dados a partir do contexto dos pesquisados; investigou-se a arte contemporânea, seus materiais, poéticas, contextos e propostas que fossem acessíveis ao público com deficiência visual; teve-se como foco uma abordagem pedagógica em Arte. Os objetos do cotidiano presente na arte contemporânea foram adaptados e analisados, como mediadores de conhecimentos na oficina. Para que a acessibilidade e inclusão deste público fossem investigadas, na oficina de coleta de dados, optou-se pela participação de pessoas videntes, também. O que permitiu, estabelecer relações, no que diz respeito as aprendizagens por meio da arte contemporânea. Na análise de dados constatou-se, entre outros resultados, que os deficientes visuais podem conhecer a arte contemporânea por meio de aprendizagens multissensoriais e obras que necessitem de pouca ou nenhuma adaptação; que a inclusão pode acontecer nas aulas de Arte no ensino formal e não formal, utilizando-se abordagens que envolvam tanto os deficientes visuais quanto os videntes