Inclusion Workshops
Creating inclusive classrooms through engagement and education
Our workshops led by professionals with disabilities aim to build empathy, understanding, and inclusion in Ugandan classrooms.
About Our Inclusion Workshops
Learners with disabilities face exclusion, and girls face even deeper barriers. Embrace is testing whether workshops designed and delivered by professionals living with disabilities can improve classroom inclusion and attitudes among Grade 5 and 6 learners.
Methodology:
- Qualitative and quantitative impact research
- Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model
- Led by Ugandan professionals with disabilities
Workshop Components
Mentorship Circles
Small groups of 10-15 learners are paired with a female mentor from the District Council of Persons with Disabilities. These mentors share personal experiences, challenges, and strategies for reducing barriers, fostering empathy, and understanding among learners.
Activities include:
- Interactive discussions on inclusion challenges
- Role-playing exercises to build empathy and understanding
- Problem-solving sessions that encourage inclusive thinking
- Gender equality focused discussions and activities
Inclusion Workshops
Monthly workshops are conducted by professionals living with disabilities in each target school with primary 5 and 6 learners and teachers. These workshops are brief and engaging, ensuring minimal disruption to the school schedule while delivering maximum impact.
Workshop topics include:
- Gender equality and disability awareness
- Exploration of adaptive technologies
- Inclusive classroom practices
- Hands-on activities like trying assistive devices and learning basic sign language
Community workshops are also conducted for parents and caregivers, focusing on gender equality, inclusion of persons with disabilities, and the importance of education for all children.
Holiday Day Camps
During school holidays, additional half-day camps focus on deeper learning about inclusion and gender equality. These camps are well-received by learners and parents, providing interactive and engaging experiences outside the regular school calendar.
Camp activities include:
- Experience and testimony sharing sessions
- Interactive games, drama, music, and sports
- Project-based learning where learners create presentations
- Showcase events where learners demonstrate their learning about inclusion and gender equality
Parents' Meetings
Professionals with disabilities meet with parents to conduct community sensitization about the importance of allowing their daughters to attend school and fully participate in the research. These meetings create a crucial bridge between school initiatives and home support systems.
Key focus areas:
- Benefits of participation for girls, including increased self-esteem
- Education about human rights for children with disabilities
- Breaking down barriers to girls' education
- Creating supportive home environments for inclusive learning
These meetings have proven effective in changing community attitudes and increasing school attendance rates for girls, particularly those with disabilities.
Workshop Resources
Our comprehensive inclusion workshops are supported by these key resources designed to create lasting impact and meaningful engagement for all participants.
Training Materials
Our locally-developed training materials are designed by Ugandan educators and disability experts to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness. These resources are regularly updated based on feedback and emerging best practices in inclusive education.
Materials include:
- Facilitator guidebooks with session plans and activities
- Visual learning aids and accessible teaching materials
- Participant workbooks with age-appropriate activities
- Inclusive classroom strategy reference guides for teachers
- Digital presentations with videos and interactive elements
Assistive Devices
We provide a variety of assistive devices during workshops for hands-on experience. These devices allow participants to better understand the tools used by people with disabilities and how they enable independence and participation.
Our collection includes:
- Mobility aids such as wheelchairs and crutches
- Communication boards and basic sign language materials
- Adaptive learning tools (large print books, tactile materials)
- Simulated vision impairment glasses for empathy exercises
- Locally-made adaptive classroom furniture examples
Through hands-on interaction with these devices, participants develop greater understanding and empathy for different abilities.
Community Resource Network
Our workshops are supported by a network of community resources and organizations that provide ongoing support for inclusive education. This network ensures that the impact of our workshops extends beyond the training sessions.
Network resources include:
- Connections to District Councils of Persons with Disabilities
- Local health service providers specializing in disability services
- Mentorship opportunities with successful professionals with disabilities
- Parent support groups and community advocacy organizations
- Educational resource centers for ongoing learning materials
By connecting schools with these resources, we help build sustainable inclusive education systems that continue functioning long after our initial workshops conclude.
Impact Assessment Tools
We use carefully designed assessment tools to measure the impact of our inclusion workshops and identify areas for improvement. These evidence-based tools help us track changes in attitudes, behaviors, and practices over time.
Assessment includes:
- Pre and post workshop attitude surveys for students and teachers
- Classroom observation tools to document inclusive practices
- Qualitative interview protocols for students, teachers and parents
- School environment accessibility assessment frameworks
- Long-term follow-up assessments to measure sustained change
These tools not only help us evaluate our program's effectiveness but also provide valuable data to schools for their own continuous improvement efforts in inclusive education.
Inclusion Workshops Gallery
Our work in action through images
All images © 2025 Embrace International Foundation Uganda
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