Event Description
Please note: Due to challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis, this colloquium will be rescheduled for a date in the fall of 2020.
Global Education Colloquium Series presents:
What’s “Special” about Special Education Policy? The Politics of Perception in Egypt
Special education is a relatively new field in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. As such, there are widely divergent definitions, policies and programs designed to address education for children with disabilities.
This presentation introduces the different laws pertaining to the education of differently-abled students in Egypt, and examines how perceptions of those laws impact implementation, particularly at the school level. Data was collected over a three-month period in two data collection phases (phase one: survey specifically designed for this study; phase two: participant interviews) and contextualized through personal experience as a school-level teacher for six years. Findings illuminate special education policy as a contested site of struggle. As different stakeholders work to control what it means to provide inclusive education to Egyptian citizens, they reframe special education policy to fit their own particular interests.
Alia A. Ammar is a PhD Candidate in Drexel’s School of Education. She is passionate about education, equity, and English Language and Literature teaching.
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