Open AccessUsing the ICF-CY to Support Inclusive Education in Ghana
Author(s) -
Christiana Okyere,
Catherine Donnelly,
Heather Michelle Aldersey
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
exceptionality education international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1918-5227
DOI - 10.5206/eei.v29i1.7777
Subject(s) - international classification of functioning, disability and health , special education , inclusion (mineral) , psychology , intellectual disability , medical education , typically developing , developmental psychology , pedagogy , medicine , social psychology , autism , neuroscience , psychiatry , rehabilitation
The international classification of functioning, disability, and health for children and youth (ICF-CY) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a framework for understanding concepts of disability specific to children and youth. This framework has been used in countries around the world to support the education of children with disabilities. In this article, we argue that the ICF-CY has the potential to inform and support Ghana’s education system and to improve the implementation of education for children with disabilities, particularly inclusive education, in Ghana. Specifically, we use children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as an exemplar to examine how the ICF-CY can support inclusive education for children with disabilities within its main components: Body Functions and Structures, Activities and Participation, Environmental Factors, and Personal Factors. Examining the ICF-CY in these areas is significant, as many similar low- and middle-income contexts have yet to adopt the framework and may draw insights and lessons for its significance in educational contexts.