Abstracts Education

Online stories of inclusion and exclusion of learners with disabilities in South Africa

by Lorenzo Dalvit

A quarter of a century since the end of apartheid, the education system in South Africa still reflects its legacy of inequality and segregation along racial and, to a lesser extent, gender and (dis)ability lines. Depending on their situation, learners with disabilities may be accommodated within the mainstream system, homeschooled or attend specialised schools, often far away from their homes, families and support networks. The educational experience of such learners was disrupted during the past two years due to stringent measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures ranged from total shutdown to a shift to emergency remote teaching and learning through digital technology. This scenario brought the stark digital inequalities which characterise the South African context sharply into focus. At the same time, in some cases, digital tools provide a unique opportunity to overcome some of the challenges associated with special needs education. In this paper, I explore the narratives and experiences of learners with disabilities by conducting a qualitative content analysis of online texts such as news articles, videos, posts and relative comments. A focus on experience is consistent with current theoretical understandings of (dis)ability which seek to critique and overcome the deficit or social construction models still informing public narratives. Interpretation of the data within its social context captures the complexity and diversity of special needs education in South Africa and provides a Global South perspective.