Teaching Inclusion under Constraint: Instructional and Psychosocial Support for Learners with Visual Impairment in Mogadishu, Somalia

Inclusive education is tested not by placement alone but by what learners are able to do, say, access, and become within ordinary classroom life. This study examined how teachers in four inclusive schools in Mogadishu, Somalia, used instructional and psychosocial support to enable the participation of learners with visual impairment. A convergent mixed-methods design combined a teacher questionnaire, interviews with learners and school administrators, classroom observations, and document review. Teachers relied most strongly on verbal explanation of visual content (91%), individualized support (81%), and collaborative learning (75%), while tactile resources (47%) and Braille-based support (41%) were less common. Psychosocial practices were more consistently reported: encouragement and motivation (97%), emotional support (88%), an inclusive classroom climate (84%), and peer-support facilitation (78%). Qualitative evidence showed that teachers often used relational and low-cost pedagogical strategies to compensate for shortages of accessible materials and assistive technology. These practices widened opportunities for participation, but they also revealed a fragile form of inclusion that depended heavily on teacher improvisation. The study argues that teacher agency can mitigate exclusion but should not become a substitute for systemic responsibility. Sustainable inclusion requires both relationally responsive teaching and reliable access to disability-specific resources, professional learning, and institutional support.

inclusive education; visual impairment; teacher support

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