Learning

This series is intended for Education Officers in USAID partner countries and implementing partners who are designing and managing new activities, evaluations, and/or research efforts.

At the 2022 Global Disability Summit (GDS), USAID announced new commitments to disability inclusive education, cementing its role as a leader and joining global partners to advocate for education for every learner.

After Kenya closed schools in response to the pandemic, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development requested that eKitabu support students who are deaf by developing sign language videos that support early grade literacy for deaf children.

Classroom teachers, principals, and specialists are embracing an understanding that they do not need to wait for diagnosis or identification of a child’s disability to teach responsively. And, they are putting that understanding to work.

Kenya implemented the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity in 2014. It introduced interventions at the grade 1 level beginning in 2015. Taking its name from the Kiswahili word for “let’s read,” the Tusome program was a five-year, nationwide effort.

Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and KCEO’s Young Mothers Incubation Program has served over 200 women with disabilities, empowering them to be active in their communities through entrepreneurship and advocacy.

Soma Umenye, a USAID reading project, teamed with the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the Rwanda Education Board (REB) to lead a three-day workshop for more than 60 stakeholders and partners.

Deaf children represent a majority of all children with disabilities in Kenya. These children are not only an underserved group of students, but also a distinct language minority that uses Kenyan Sign Language as their native language.