Introduction: Education is a fundamental right for all children, including those with
disability [UN (United Nations). 2013. General Assembly, 68th Session. The Way
Forward: A Disability-Inclusive Developmental Agenda Towards 2015 and
Beyond: Report of the Secretary-General (A/68/95). June 14. (Masthead). (2012
Readex microfiche).]. Rwanda has numerous policies for inclusive education but
has not been successful in implementing these standards nationally. A
multisectoral approach, including interdisciplinary liaisons, is cited to achieve
inclusive education. Occupational therapy services recently introduced in
Rwanda contribute to reducing obstacles and facilitating the transition of
children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. Overcoming the barriers to
inclusive education requires first identifying them before solutions are postulated.
Objectives: This research maps the literature to demystify the barriers to
implementing national policies for inclusive education. Methods: A scoping
approach guided by the Arksey and O’Malley [2005. “Scoping Studies: Towards
a Methodological Framework.” International Journal of Social Research
Methodology 8: 19– 32] five-stage methodological framework was employed.
Results: Seven themes emerged that impede the adoption of inclusive education:
financial constraints, physical barriers, insufficient teacher training, cultural
attitudes and discrimination, over-reliance on foreign aid, inadequate policies and
legislation and ignoring cultural context in policies. Future research: Using a
multisectoral approach with occupational therapists, a strategic demonstration
project is recommended to: (a) re-operationalise policies, (b) prepare the
environment and community, (c) train teachers, and (d) evaluate outcomes. The
findings have the potential to assist other regions in identifying challenges to,
and adopting, inclusive education in the future.