Paper short abstract:

This paper argues that the legacy of colonialism and India’s current transitional status towards globalization have combined to create structural inequities concurrent with changes in child rearing practices and attitudes towards disability, resulting in a disconnect between policy and practice in perceptions of disability and the educational needs of children with disability. It also examines the implications for India as an emerging leader in the current global arena of South-South collaboration.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is based on qualitative interviews with parents and teachers of children with disabilities in India, which found that both parties alike struggled to reconcile their realities of societal discrimination and resource-strapped classrooms with the public/political rhetoric of rights and inclusive education policy. Even as the "one-size-fits all" doctrine of universal applicability proffered by international donor agencies has become entrenched in Child Friendly School policies and the goal of Education For All, the parents and teachers were aware that there was little space for including children with disabilities within the parallel structures of general and special education and the competitive environment of an educational system which discriminated against students who may not be academically successful. Further, the parents also recognized that changing social attitudes and mores in the context of globalization, with the sidelining of traditional values of interdependence and dharma or social responsibility by western values of individualism, had serious repercussions for their plans for their child's future. The paper argues that the legacy of colonialism and India's current transitional status towards globalization have combined to create structural inequities concurrent with changes in child rearing practices and attitudes towards disability, resulting in a disconnect between policy and practice in perceptions of disability and the educational needs of children with disability. It also examines the implications for India as an emerging leader in the current global arena of South-South collaboration.