Building Future Leaders:Engaging Teachers and Parents to Support Girls with Disabilities

In this blog, Rose Resiato shares updates from a recent engagement where Rural Women Voices CBO held a teachers' and parents' engagement aimed at strengthening the role of educators and caregivers in nurturing leadership among girls with disabilities. Read the first part of this continuing engagement, in a process meant to strengthen the leadership capabilities of young girls with disabilities. 

'Empowering girls with disabilities to become confident leaders requires the support of not only schools but also families and communities, says Rose, adding, 'The initiative forms part of broader efforts to empower school-going girls with disabilities to grow into future leaders in our communities."

Strengthening Inclusion through Training

The engagement brought together teachers and parents in a learning and dialogue session focused on improving inclusion and leadership opportunities for girls with disabilities, both at school and at home. 

Participants were trained on several key topics, including:

• Disability Inclusion to support participants to understand disability rights, inclusion, and equitable participation in education and society.
• Disability Inclusion Score Cards - looking at a tool used to assess how inclusive schools and communities are, and to identify areas that require improvement.
• Involving Girls in Activities at Home and School to encourage parents and teachers to intentionally create opportunities for girls with disabilities to participate in leadership roles, decision-making, and daily activities.
• Understand Deaf Culture – raising awareness about communication, identity, and respect for learners who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Parents and teachers appreciated the session, noting that it offered them new insights on how to better support girls with disabilities and ensure they are not left out of leadership and participation opportunities.

“Sometimes the biggest challenge is not in the classroom but at home. When families understand and support their children, learning becomes much easier.” Teacher participant

Listening to Parents’ Experiences

One of the most powerful aspects of the engagement was the open dialogue between the CBO, parents, and teachers. Parents shared real challenges they face while raising children with disabilities. Many parents revealed that exclusion often begins at home, where children may face stigma not only from neighbors and friends but sometimes even from family members. Such attitudes can greatly affect a child’s confidence and sense of belonging.

Parents also expressed concern about limited access to information and services. Many said they did not know where to report grievances or seek support, especially when trying to access:

• School bursaries
• Assistive devices
• Hearing aids and other learning support tools

They noted that these services are critical for enabling children with disabilities to fully participate in education.

“We want to know where to go when our children need support such as bursaries or assistive devices. Information is very important for us as parents.” Parent participant

A Story of Hope and Parental Support

During the engagement, Rose Resiato from Rural Women Voices CBO shared her personal journey growing up as a young Maasai girl. She explained that her success today, working to empower girls and women with disabilities, would not have been possible without the support of her mother. Her story was powerful in reminding all that parental support plays a vital role in shaping confident and resilient girls.

“If my mother had not supported me, I would not be standing here today advocating for girls and women with disabilities. Parents have the power to shape the confidence and future of their children.” Rose Resiato, Rural Women Voices CBO

 Challenges Faced by Teachers

Teachers spoke about some concerns they face in interactions with learners with disabilities. One of the major issues is the lack of adaptive teaching and learning materials in schools, which makes it difficult to effectively support learners with different needs. Another challenge that came up quite a lot is limited parental involvement. In some families, only one parent takes responsibility for supporting the child’s education, creating additional pressure and emotional strain on that parent.

Teachers emphasized that some parents require more guidance to understand their children’s disabilities. In certain cases, parents may expect children to perform beyond their abilities without considering appropriate support or accommodations.

A Collective Step Toward Advocacy

To strengthen collaboration and advocacy, parents and teachers agreed to take a significant step forward. From each participating school, four lead parents were selected to champion the rights of learners with disabilities. These parents will work together to form and register a parents’ consortium, which will serve as a platform for advocacy, information sharing, and collective action to ensure that children with disabilities receive the support they deserve.