Abstract
Despite the current emphasis on evidence-based practice in special education in the United States, students with disabilities need to learn the skills and knowledge necessary to be active in their community. The curriculum must be culturally and socially relevant, providing individuals with knowledge important to their community and skills that they will be able to use after completing school. The curriculum at the Irente Rainbow School, as it is enacted by the teachers, reflects the community’s funds of knowledge. This case study explores how local beliefs and practices influence the curricular education and socialization of students with disabilities in a single rural community, but it has implications for Tanzania, Africa at large, and developing countries around the world. Its findings suggest ways by which educators can help individuals with disabilities support themselves, their families, and their communities.
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Notes
- 1.
Some sections of this chapter first appeared in Stone-MacDonald (2012). They appear here in a revised and expanded form.
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Stone-MacDonald, A. (2014). What Can We Learn from this Community?. In: Community-Based Education for Students with Developmental Disabilities in Tanzania. SpringerBriefs in Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7320-2_7
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