More than 15% of the Nicaraguan population suffers from some form of disability. While the causes vary, the principal reasons include deficiencies in perinatal care as well as limited medical resources for pre- and post-natal care. The impact on school-age children is often devastating, with either a shortage or no availability of education or therapeutic options.
Nicaragua’s public education system has traditionally provided education services to children with disabilities in specialized institutions. Over the years, efforts have been made to integrate both classrooms and schools; teachers have been provided with basic knowledge and tools; and some good practices have been developed. However, these efforts have been sporadic and there is a mindset within the school community that for children with disabilities to be academically successful, they should be part of a segregated education system.
In 2020, in partnership with UNICEF and with the financial support of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, the ministry rolled out the country’s first master’s degree in disability with an emphasis on inclusive education. The first cohort of the two-year programme includes 37 teachers, school directors and pedagogical advisers from 15 schools who are acquiring the tools needed to apply the inclusive educational model, which recognizes the different needs of each child. This is a major step forward. However, it will take years for this nascent effort to achieve the scale needed to reach all schools, and therefore all children, across the country.
So, in 2021, the partners launched a complementary programme designed to strengthen the institutional ability to successfully integrate children with disabilities at the school level. The programme’s goal is to equip the Ministry of Education with a comprehensive approach to establishing inclusive schools, one that includes the tools, resources and technology needed for all children, regardless of their specific learning needs or styles, to interact together and learn from each other´s potential and capabilities.
The Ministry of Education and the teachers have fully embraced the programme, now in its second year, and are looking at ways to expand the initial components and add new ones. These include teacher training; accessible infrastructure; the production of accessible learning materials and the use of technology for inclusivity; and communication of social and behavioural change.
The spirit of South-South cooperation has played an important role in providing the materials needed to succeed. Paraguay, which is ahead of Nicaragua in the production of digital and accessible textbooks, has been sharing its experiences and best practices in the production of a prototype programme and field testing. Brazil, Jamaica and Uruguay are also working on digitally accessible textbooks, and periodic virtual meetings are organized for all parties to share their developments and learn from one another’s experiences.
Probably the most innovative area of the programme has been the development of digital and accessible textbooks and other learning materials. To this end, the initiative brings together knowledge of pedagogy, editing, technology and disabilities to create a digital application designed to serve all learning needs and styles. In a post-COVID-19 context, having access to such technology will ensure that the country, including its education system, is better prepared to serve all students, especially those with disabilities, more effectively.
