Educational Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities: Increased Expectations but Unrealised Gains

This project was to examine the role and impact of education in the lives of young people with disabilities living in poor communities in Ghana, Kenya, India and Pakistan. This presentation will draw on qualitative data gathered from interviews conducted with young people (aged 15-30), with varying levels of schooling, and their significant others (parents and elder siblings) living in India. Rich narratives collected from the field highlight the immense faith being placed in schooling to deliver the promise of a better life. However, evidence suggests that while being at school resulted in some personal benefits these were coupled with many unfulfilled expectations and even reinforced existing forms of differentiation.