Abstract

The paper reports on the disengagements heard from parents who have children with cognitive learning disability and attending in local mainstream schools. The Ecological theory was adopted as powerhouse theory in this paper; the theory provided guide and structure to the scope and research ethnography that was undertaken in completion of this paper. The nature of the phenomenon of interest, the kind of questions, answers and analysis prompted the use of qualitative research design. There were sixteen questions that were prepared for data collection and were kept open-ended; parents had an opportunity to answer in personal interviews and as a collective in focus groups. Fifteen parents who had children living with cognitive learning disability were purposefully sampled and they spoke on challenges with inclusive education policy implementation in local schools. The findings consisted of ambivalent feedback about the implementation of inclusive education as a policy in support of children with cognitive disability. The paper highlighted identity, culture and ecological analysis as the key factors that sit consistently and influence implementation of the policy.

Keywords:Anthropology; Inclusive education; Cognitive disability; Ecological theory; Identity; Holism; Culture