Reconceptualizing Inclusion through the Lived Experiences of Disabled Students in Contexts of Forced Displacement: A Comparative Case Study

Kemigisha Richardson

The concept of inclusive education remains elusive, with ambiguous goals and models shaped predominantly by education research conducted in the global North, which typically overlook the diverse ways inclusion is understood and experienced by students with multiple marginalized identities. This comparative case study, conducted in refugee-hosting districts in Uganda, uses qualitative and visual methods to analyze and reconceptualize inclusion in contexts of forced displacement by centering the myriad identities, knowledge, and lived experiences of forcibly displaced disabled students. Grounded in theories of intersectionality that examine the intersection of disability with other axes of inequality, such as citizenship, race, class, and language, as well as postcolonial analyses of disability and displacement, this study uses student reflective journals, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews with students, caregivers, teachers, and education stakeholders in Uganda's refugee response to explore the multi-dimensional and contextual factors that contribute to students' understandings and experiences of inclusion in both rural and urban settings. This study seeks to expand understandings of inclusive education by recognizing students as valuable knowledge producers whose insights are vital to inform education policy, practice, and research oriented towards creating transformative and liberatory learning environments grounded in equity and justice.

About Kemigisha Richardson

Kemigisha Richardson is a Ph.D. Candidate in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests focus on education in crisis and forced migration contexts, exploring institutional structures, policies, curricula, and pedagogies that support empowering and sustainable teaching conditions, as well as positive academic and psychosocial outcomes for students. Her dissertation research examines models and understandings of inclusive education in refugee-hosting districts in Uganda, with particular focus on the lived experiences of disabled refugee and host community students. Prior to her doctoral studies, Kemigisha worked as a public school teacher in Hawai'i with students with diverse learning needs and newcomers with varied English literacy. As an educator, she sought to create a classroom community where students could confidently express their voices, share their stories, and actively shape their educational journeys through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches that encouraged collaboration, questioning, and creativity. Kemigisha holds a B.A. in Science and Management, Biotechnology from Claremont McKenna College and an M.Sc. in Educational Studies from Johns Hopkins University.