Today’s blog is written by one of the students in the study abroad course.
Name: Carly Cannon
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Program of study: I am starting my third semester of the Master of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education program and Certificate of Advanced Study in Disability Studies this fall and plan to graduate in December of 2019.
I am participating in the Kenya study abroad experience because much of my undergraduate research experience involved information from Central and East Africa. Currently, I work with students, many of whom either speak Kiswahili or actually lived in Kenya for a portion of their lives. In an attempt to connect with these students and to try and incorporate more of their background into lessons, I thought that this experience would be very beneficial for me. Additionally, as an advocate for disability rights – particularly in relation to education – I wanted to learn more about how the special education system works in the Kenyan context.
Some things I have observed thus far are that Kenya is a very beautiful country with beautiful people. I have greatly enjoyed Kenyans’ hospitality and sense of humor. In terms of the classrooms we have been observing in, I have been almost exclusively been observing the special education programs. The linkages between poverty and disability are not foreign to me, however, the social impacts that operate between the two have been interesting and humbling to observe. The stigma of disability runs deep in Embu County, and presumably throughout Kenya. Although, I would argue that globally (the United States included) we have much to aspire for before we reach true inclusion. With this stigma in Kenya, however, this creates challenging ties with family members and the financial component only increases this dynamic. Additionally, families who would be interested in advocating for their children appear to be constrained based on their lower financial standing. This, as a result, creates limited opportunities for students with disabilities’ voices in their communities.
I find it interesting that during our time at the Ugweri primary school’s special education classroom, it did not seem like anyone outside of that classroom knew anything about the students with disabilities – not their names or where they went to class, let alone what each student was capable of doing. However, at the ACK St. Monica Embu Special School in Embu town, it was much different where all of their services are centered around students with disabilities; channeling what skills the students have an interest in obtaining and finding ways to work with each students’ disability. We were shown what products students are creating in their programs, which represent marketable skills for the community. This represents what can happen when there is support for students and their success.
I am looking forward to learning more about what teaching practices teachers use at the special education school in Embu, and to learn further who determines and distributes funding to these programs.
Recap of Today’s Activities:
Today, we started our day off at Kangaru Boy’s School (a boarding school with about 1, 500 students) in Embu town. We attended their parade (held each Monday and Friday) and were presented to the students and administration. Following the parade, we enjoyed tea and snacks in the Chief Principal’s office and discussed the functions of Kangaru.
After learning a little more about the operations of the school, all except three of our group went off to observe in classrooms in Kangaru. The three students who did not go to observe in Kangaru (myself included), went to another school dedicated to students with disabilities called the ACK St. Monica Embu Special School. We were taken around to the different classrooms and interacted heavily with the faculty, learning from their experiences and what their roles each were within the school.
In the early afternoon, we all reconvened at Kangaru where we were hosted for lunch with the teachers. We had a delicious meal of beef stew, cabbage, and ugali. We then left for the hotel so that students would have time to work on assignments and readings for this course, as well as rest and relax. For the remainder of the day, we focused on studying and exploring the grounds of Izaak Walton Inn where we are staying, ultimately ending the day with a group dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
