A Comparative Study of Inclusive Education for Learners with Intellectual Disabilities in Kenya and New York State: Implications for Kenya

Inclusive education for learners with intellectual disabilities remains one of the most demanding areas of education reform because it requires more than policy commitment. It requires early identification, reasonable accommodation, individualized support, appropriate placement, sustained financing, and clear transition pathways. This paper compares Kenya’s inclusive education framework with New York State’s accountability-based special education system to draw context-sensitive implications for Kenya. The study used a comparative documentary policy analysis supported by a structured review of official policy documents, administrative reports, and scholarly sources published mainly between 2018 and 2024. It examined how legal frameworks, placement systems, financing arrangements, assessment mechanisms, and monitoring practices influence access, progression, and transition outcomes for learners with intellectual disabilities. The findings show that Kenya has made important formal commitments to inclusive education, but implementation remains weakened by fragmented assessment systems, limited support capacity, inadequate placement data, and severe transition bottlenecks. Official Kenyan statistics recorded 71,851 primary-level learners under the historical administrative category “Mentally Handicap” in public special-needs institutions in 2019, but no corresponding enrolment under the same category at secondary level (Ministry of Education, 2019). New York State, by contrast, provides more routine placement and outcome indicators through the least restrictive environment accountability framework, including a 2020 baseline in which 58.28% of students with individualized education programs were educated in regular classes for at least 80% of the school day (New York State Education Department, 2022a). The paper argues that Kenya can strengthen inclusive education for learners with intellectual disabilities by developing a national placement-and-outcomes dashboard, improving assessment and support systems, clarifying financing mechanisms, and treating transition from primary to secondary education as a monitored system priority.

inclusive education; intellectual disability; Kenya; New York State; least restrictive environment

1. Kenya National Treasury. (2024). Education sector report 2024. https://www.treasury.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Education-Sector-Report-2024-latest.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Ministry of Education. (2018a). Sector policy for learners and trainees with disabilities. Government of Kenya. https://www.education.go.ke/sites/default/files/2022-05/Sector-Policy-for-learners-and-trainees-with-disabilities.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Ministry of Education. (2018b). Implementation guidelines for sector policy for learners and trainees with disabilities. Government of Kenya. https://www.education.go.ke/sites/default/files/2022-05/Implementation-guidelines-sector-policy-for-learners-and-trainees-with-disabilities.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Ministry of Education. (2019). Basic education statistical booklet, 2019. Government of Kenya. https://africacheck.org/sites/default/files/Kenya-Basic-Education-Statistical-Booklet-2019.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Munn, Z., Peters, M. D., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Students with disabilities. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. New York City Public Schools. (2023). Annual preschool special education data report: School year 2022–2023. https://saintrafileprod01.blob.core.windows.net/prd-intra/docs/default-source/reports/annual-special-education-data-report-preschool-22-23.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. New York State Education Department. (2022a). State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report 2020–2025: Indicator 5—Least restrictive environment, school age. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/special-education/state-performance-plan-indicator-5-presentation-slides.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. New York State Education Department. (2022b). 2022 Part B results-driven accountability matrix: New York. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/special-education/idea-2022-part-b-results-matrix-new-york.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/CRPD_ENG.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. (2016). General comment No. 4 (2016) on the right to inclusive education. United Nations Digital Library. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/1313836 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). 34 C.F.R. § 300.114 Least restrictive environment requirements. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/b/300.114 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study