Access and enrollment of children with intellectual disability in selected special schools in Ghana: The influence of parental economic status

Abstract

This study explored teachers’ and parents’ opinions on access and enrollment in schools for children with intellectual disability in Ghana. Specifically, a descriptive survey using a cross sectional research design was adopted to study the extent to which parental socio-economic status and the conceptualization of ‘‘intellectual disability’’ influenced educational decision making for those children. One hundred and fifty teachers and eight parents participated in the study. The results revealed that parental socio-economic status and the conceptualization of intellectual disability had significant influences on educational decision-making for these children. The implications for free appropriate public education for children with intellectual disability are discussed.