Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore community leaders‟ knowledge and
contributions towards the implementation of inclusive education (IE) policy in the Ga
West Municipality of Ghana. This qualitative study was designed as a case study.
Data were collected from 25 participants, purposively sampled from a population of
66 community opinion leaders, who responded to a set of semi-structured interview
questions. The study found the following: (i) that community opinion leaders had fair
knowledge about the IE policy and valued the philosophy of its implementation, and
that (ii) collaboration with key stakeholders contributed to the successful
implementation of the IE policy in the Ga West Municipal, (iii) awareness creation
about the rights of children with disabilities and provision of resources contribute
towards the implementation of IE in the municipality. To improve the knowledge of
community opinion leaders about IE policy, sensitization workshops and seminars
emerged as one of the strategies to enhance the implementation of the IE policy. It
was concluded that the full implementation of the IE policy would combat
discrimination, create welcoming communities and build inclusive societies.
Therefore, it was recommended that advocates of IE should increase community
knowledge about the practicality and benefits of the IE policy and should always
involve community opinion leaders since they have a major role to play in the full
implementation of IE in their community.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Special Education,
Faculty of Educational Studies, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Special Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
MAY, 2020
