Exploring Teachers’ Lived Experiences in Implementing Inclusive Education Policies for Grade 1 Students with Special Needs at Al Nahda National School

The principle of inclusion was grounded in the belief that every child, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, had the right to access equitable and quality education. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) made significant strides in developing policies that supported students with special needs, particularly in their early years of schooling. In this context, the present study was conceptualised with the purpose of investigating the lived experiences of five (5) Grade 1 teachers at Al Nahda National School in implementing inclusive education policies for students with special needs. The study utilized a phenomenological research design through a qualitative research approach and conducting semi-structured interviews to understand the challenges general education teachers face when teaching students with special needs in mainstream classrooms. The thematic reflection in this study facilitated a comprehensive exploration of the phenomenological realities encountered by regular teachers who taught core subjects to Grade 1 students with special needs in inclusive classrooms. The literature comparison in this study focused on the first-hand experiences of regular teachers instructing core subjects to Grade 1 students with special needs in inclusive classrooms. The insights of the study have direct implications for teaching practice. Differentiated instruction, the use of multimodal tools, and culturally responsive practices must become central components of early childhood instructional design. The findings confirmed the gap between inclusive education policies and classroom realities. Although the UAE had established a strong legal and policy framework, including Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 and the Inclusive Education Framework of 2019, teachers found it difficult to translate these principles into practice. The study concluded that for inclusive education to be effective, teachers required continuous professional training, access to specialised staff, adequate instructional materials, and stronger collaboration with parents and administrators.