Accessibility of primary education facilities to students with disabilities: a study in the context of disasters in Jashore, Bangladesh

Purpose In disaster-prone countries such as Bangladesh, integrating disabled kids into education is critical to national development. While kids with disabilities experience disasters differently, prioritizing their education is even more crucial. Coastal Bangladesh is exposed to growing calamities, and disabled pupils experience severe challenges because of their constraints. The study aims to investigate the extent to which coastal Bangladeshi primary schools accommodate disabled students during disasters. Design/methodology/approach A total of 20 primary schools were investigated. A total of 35 in-depth interviews, 20 key informant interviews, 10 focus group discussions, a physical checklist and a curriculum review were conducted. Findings A total of 51.43% of students with disabilities were male, and five types of disabilities were identified, including hearing, visual, speech, intellectual and physical. Disasters include rain, earthquakes, fires, thunderstorms, sound pollution, water logging, etc. A total of 43.7% of the teachers attended disaster management training or workshops, while only 50% participated in disability-related disaster management training. Disability-friendly infrastructure such as school ramps is a strength, but parent and teacher ignorance is a weakness. Moreover, impaired students’ growing enthusiasm to learn is their greatest strength, whereas their largest weakness is parental ignorance of their education. Some texts from Grades I to V cover disability and disaster safety but none provide disabled student disaster management. Practical implications The outcome of this study is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4, and thus could help to inform initiatives to create more inclusive education systems, such as providing additional resources for students with disabilities. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge and as the first study to analyze the readiness of primary schools to accommodate special children, this report is of particular importance.