Barriers to Including Children with Disabilities in Egyptian Schools

Abstract This study set out to investigate teachers' perceptions of barriers to including children with disabilities in general schools in Egypt. This descriptive, qualitative study drew on a purposive sample of twelve general and special education teachers within two educational districts in Cairo, Egypt. Through in-depth interviews, teachers were asked about their perceptions of the barriers that hinder the implementation of inclusive education in Egypt. Four categories of barriers were identified: structural-organizational, personal, interpersonal and socio-cultural barriers. The findings showed that these barriers are related and interact to affect teachers' beliefs about the possibility of the implementation of inclusion in Egypt. In addition, the study argues that “barriers to inclusion” is a very complicated issue that includes many interrelated contextual factors that should be addressed to implement inclusion effectively. The results indicate that differential change procedures should be followed if we would like to enhance the learning of children with disabilities in inclusive settings.