Policy and Practice on Inclusive Higher Education in the UK and Kenya: A Theoretical Framework and Recommendations

Abstract

This article presents a study that was undertaken as part of a collaborative project between a UK university and a university in Kenya. The study aimed to investigate policies and practices of Inclusion and Inclusive Education in the two universities. Here, we present how Inclusion and Inclusive Education are conceptualized in the two geographical contexts, and review literature on Inclusion, Inclusive Education, disability, race and international/refugee students to develop a theoretical framework that we use to analyze the policies and practices of the two universities in two case studies. Our preliminary findings of this analysis show that Inclusion and Inclusive Education definitions in the two contexts need to be augmented with considerations of identity. We also make recommendations for the two institutions on how they can improve their policies and practices of inclusion, generate new strategies where they are missing or review existing tools and services to evaluate. These recommendations can benefit higher education institutions in the Global North and South.