This abstract is submitted to the AARE's Conference in Hobart, Tasmania, from 26/11-01/12/2011. It will be presented from 11:30 to 11:00, 30/11/2011-http://www.cdesign.com.au/aare2011/program_SIG3.html#SIG8
Recent reports by MOET and MOLISA stated that just only nearly one-third of children with disabilities (CWD) going to schools at their ages (MOLISA 2004, MOET 2010). Meanwhile the rest are unable to go to schools. For those in school settings are facing and experiencing many difficulties in inclusive education or in special education. Such difficulties are ranged from negative social attitudes to disability and CWD, to lack of learning facilities and shortage of skilled teachers, support staffs (MOET 2010). This paper titled “Exploring the experiences of children with disabilities at school settings in Vietnam context” focuses at finding these difficulties in Vietnam context.
As applying research process by Crotty (Crotty 1998), my research used social constructionism and symbolic interactionism as the theoretical background, ethnomethodology as the methodology which drive methods for collecting data in terms of observation, survey and personal interview.
The initial findings from 230 questionnaires’ survey and 36 interviews, in which informants are CWD, children with non-disabilities, parents of CWD, and teachers in school settings, are stated as: (a) the general understanding of disability is based on medical model and individual model rather than social model; (b) the most difficulties which CWD experience at school are those of learning facilities, the empathy from peer students and barriers from physical environment; (c) the ways which CWD try to deal with such difficulties are mostly do-by-themselves or try to be adapted rather than asking for supports actively. By these findings, recommendations on having further activities on changing social awareness on disabilities, specific support activities for CWD and school staff are stated in order to promote social inclusion of CWD at schools.
Keywords: Children with disabilities (CWD), social inclusion, Vietnam, experience, inclusive education
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