Inclusiveness

A Course for Higher Education of all Disciplines

Developed By:
1. Dr. Alemayehu Teklemariam (Associate Professor) Addis Ababa University: Chapter Five and
Eight
2. Dr. Bitew Atnaf Bahirdar (Asst. Professor) University: Chapter Two and six
3. Jafar Lola (Asst. Professor) Jimma University: Chapter One
4. Dr. Mesfin Dejene (Asst. Professor) Kotebe Metropolitan University: Chapter Four
5. Teketel Agafari (Asst. Professor) Haromaya University: Chapter Three
6. Yitayal Alemu (Asst. Professor) University of Gondar: Chapter Seven

Editor: Alemayehu Teklemariam (PhD) Associate Professor, AAU

January 2020
I. Course information
1.1. Course Title: Inclusiveness
1.2. Credit hours: 2 (4 ECTS)
1.3. Target group: Compulsory for all undergraduate students
1.4. Course code: SNIE 1012
1.5. Contact hours: 48 Hours
1.6. Course offering: Bezawit Aweke
1.7. Mode of delivery: Semester based/Parallel

Students Lectures Tutorial Library/ Assignment Home Total work Load

work Group report study
Load works

48hrs - 20hrs 17hrs 50hrs 135hrs

II. Course Description

Development efforts of any organization need to include and benefit people with various types of
disabilities, people at risks of exclusion/discrimination and marginalization, through providing quality
education and training, creating equity, accessibility, employability, promoting prosperity, reducing
poverty and enhancing peace, stability and creating inclusive society. Unfortunately, this has not been the
practice for the majority of people with disabilities and vulnerable groups, due to unfavorable attitude,
negligence, inaccessibility and exclusion from all development endeavors. It is obvious that people with
disabilities are the large stand most disadvantaged minority in the world. They are about 15 percent of the
global population (about one billion people), and 17.6 million in Ethiopia, with most extended families
including someone with a disability (World Health Organization and World Bank and 2011). An exclusion
practice of this large number of persons with disabilities in Ethiopia is an indicator of violating
fundamental human rights that undermines their potential/ability to contribute to poverty reduction and
economic growth within their household, their community and the country. It is clear that it is not
impairment, but the exclusion practices that has contributed for insecurity (conflict), poverty aggravation
for persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities, that has highly demanding inclusive practices. Exclusion
practices of persons with disabilities have a long history, affecting the life of people with disabilities and
the society at large. In the past and even today people have been discriminated due to their disabilities.

Inclusiveness promotes effective developments through full participation of all members of a population,
people with disabilities and vulnerabilities, where all are equal contributors of development and equitable
beneficiaries. Through inclusive practices, it is possible to identify and remove social and physical
barriers so that people with disabilities and vulnerabilities can participate and benefit from all
developments. Genuine inclusion of people with disabilities and vulnerabilities allow of them to actively
participate in development processes and eliminate dependence syndrome, leads to broader benefits for
families and communities, reduces the impacts of poverty, and positively contributes to a country’s
economic growth, development and ultimately create inclusive society. All stages of development
processes of any organization should be inclusive through creating equal access to education, health care
services, work and employment, social protection and all development center of human being.
Hence, in this course, the higher education students will learn how to assess, understand and address the
needs of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities; and provide relevant support or seek extra support
from experts. He/she also learns how to adapt and implementing services for an inclusive environment
that aimed to develop holistic development such as affective, cognitive and psychosocial skills of the
population with disabilities and vulnerabilities. Identification and removal/management of environmental
barriers would find a crucial place in the course. The students learn how to give more attention and
support for persons with; hearing impairments, visual impairment, deaf-Blind, autism, physical and health
impairments, intellectually challenged, emotional and behavior disorders, learning difficulty,
communication disorders, vulnerable persons including gifted and talented, and those at risk due to
different reason (persons who are environmentally and culturally deprived, abused, torched, abandoned,
and orphaned..etc.). All University students should be given the chance to study the specific
developmental characteristics of each group of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities. Furth more,
they also indentify the major environmental and social barriers that hinder the development of
individuals; and come up with appropriate intervention strategies in inclusive settings of their respective
professional environment and any development settings where all citizens are equally benefited.
III. Course objective and Expected Learning outcomes
The objective of this course is to develop knowledge, skill and attitude of the learners so that they can
provide appropriate services, the tools and strategies that help to create a convenient inclusive
environment. This course encourages learners exploring the benefits of collaborating with colleagues to
design and implement inclusion an all sphere of life. It also guides the discovery of ways to modify
environment as well as services and practices to meet the needs of all persons with disabilities and
vulnerabilities in inclusive environment. As a result of reviewing various reading materials, completing
the assignments, engaging in related discussions, and strongly workings on activities, towards the
completion of the course, the students will be able to:
 Identify the needs and potentials of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities.
 Identify environmental and social barriers that hinder the needs, potentials and full participations, in
all aspects of life of persons disabilities and vulnerabilities
 Demonstrate desirable inclusive attitude towards all persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities in
full participations
 Apply various assessment strategies for service provisions for evidence-based planning and
implementation to meet the needs of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
 Adapt environments and services according to the need and potential of the persons with disabilities
and vulnerabilities
 Utilize appropriate assistive technology and other support mechanisms that address the needs of
persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
 Respect and advocate for the right of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
 Collaboratively work with special needs experts and significant others for the life success of all
persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities in every endeavor and in all environments.
 Create and maintain successful inclusive environment for persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
 Promote the process of building inclusive society
Assessment and Evaluation Methods
Dear students, for each content you will complete getting started activities, read selected materials
complete course works and group assignments. Assessment of the students would be a continuous
process. The following schemes of evaluation would be used:
 Class activity 5%
 Assignment/group/assignment 20%
 Mid exam 25%
 Final exam 50%
Course Policy
Responsibilities of Instructors
Profile of instructors in this course must be the right professional in Special needs/inclusive education. In
order to produce quality teachers, this course should be offered only instructor, MEd/MA or PhD in
special needs/inclusive education. To meet the learning outcome aforementioned and enhance teachers’
quality, the special needs/inclusive education instructors will have the following major responsibilities.
 Advise students on all the aspects of the course
 Provide the students with the syllabus and other materials well ahead of the
delivery of it
 Conduct the interactive lectures as per the plan
 Facilitate students’ individual assignments, group assignments, field works,
practicum, seminars, presentations, and collaborative learning
 Periodically assess the students’ work
 Provide the students with timely feedbacks on their graded and ungraded
academic works
 Follow on students’ progress and communicate to the students
 Keep student records on the whole work of the students
 Design and execute students’ consultation program
Responsibilities of Students
This course is designed for would teachers after completion of Bachelor degree in various fields. For
successful completion of this course the teacher candidates would have the following responsibilities
 Students are expected to actively and fully attend as per the university legislation
and participate all the in class and outclass learning activities. Missing a single
class will cost students 2 points.
 Carry out individual assignments, group assignments, field works, practicum as
per the details and deadlines
 Students are expected to read given materials before class
 Students are expected to read selected books and ten articles
 Actively participate in the planning, organizing and conducting of all the
seminars and presentations
 Reflect on feedbacks and initiate actions on them
 Passing the exams successfully