Sharing Voices: Family Advocacy and Equitable Education for Children with Disabilities in Bangladesh

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) specified that children with disabilities have the right to equitable educational and mainstream services that are irrespective of context. However, obtaining equitable education for children with disabilities is challenging in low- and middle-income countries (e.g., Bangladesh) due to limited resources, stigma, accessibility and fundings. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of families in their journey to obtain equitable education for their children with disabilities in Bangladesh. This study was conducted in one school, in a major city in Bangladesh, that was founded by families of children with disabilities. These families advocated for change at the micro level in response to a lack of support and options for securing services to meet the needs of their children in their city of residence. Three founding members of this school were interviewed to learn about their rationale and process while establishing the school. Additionally, 17 family members of students who are currently attending this school were also interviewed to learn about their perceptions of this school as well as the processes they encountered on their journeys. Through my interviews, I learned about the ways that families navigated through their societies in efforts to tread uncharted environments that ultimately landed them to defy status quo and push boundaries in support of children with disabilities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]