INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND THE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (PROHIBITION) ACT: EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act prohibits any form of discrimination against people with disabilities and protects their rights to equal access to education. This paper investigates how well the government is fulfilling its statutory obligation to protect the rights of people with disabilities by ensuring that they are learning in a barrier-free environment. Through the study of the experiences of 17 students with disabilities in 5 government-owned universities across 4 geopolitical zones in Nigeria, this paper identified multiple significant barriers that impede the inclusion of people living with disabilities in universities in Nigeria. It contends that these barriers emanate from the government’s lack of interest in protecting the rights of people with disabilities. Consequently, it concludes by proposing techniques that must be adopted to ensure the implementation of the Act to create an environment where people with disabilities have equal and equitable access to higher education in Nigeria.