Testing youth transitions in Kenya: Are young people with disabilities falling through the cracks?

Abstract

The number of young people living in Africa is expected to be at its peak over the next few decades. This may either climax into a dramatic social transformation or explode into a disaster; depending on how well (or badly) the society prepares itself and its young people. This paper focuses on the situation of young people with disabilities and examines the transitional opportunities available to them in Kenyan society, considering three principal areas: education, employment and social participation. The paper utilises the findings of a systematic analysis of relevant government reports and documents. Some of the issues raised are contextualised using data collected from one secondary school for the blind in Nairobi. Our analysis indicates that, although their numbers are significant, young people with disabilities face difficult obstacles in progressing to higher levels of education. They are faced with limited employment opportunities and are at a greater risk of being exploited in the social sphere. Some policy options to tackle this situation are indicated. This Report forms part of the Research Consortium on Educational Outcomes and Poverty (RECOUP), funded by DFID, 2005-10. Views expressed here are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by DFID or any of the partner institutions. For details of the objectives, composition and work of the consortium see: