Building an Inclusive Future
Learn how USAID Inclusive Education Specialist Josh Josa is expanding access to education for children and youth with disabilities
Education is crucial for all young people to gain the knowledge and skills they need to thrive. However, attending school remains a dream for many youth with disabilities.
Aiming to change this reality, Josh Josa, USAID’s inclusive education specialist, is committed to advocating for young persons with disabilities. He recently won the 2022 Samuel Heyman Service to America People’s Choice Award for his work. Making education inclusive for all is a personal mission for Josh. He is a third-generation deaf man whose experiences have helped inform his work.
Josh grew up in a family that came to the United States from Hungary. Because both of his parents are Deaf, he could fully communicate with them in both American and Hungarian Sign Language.
“I had a strong sense of identity and culture,” Josh recounted. “As a result, I grew up confidently.”
For Josh’s family, education was a central topic of discussion. His grandparents had to learn Hungarian Sign Language primarily in secret because it was banned in schools worldwide after the 1880 Milan Conference.
“My grandparents did not have the level of literacy and language that they could have had if they had access to an education system that recognized the importance of learning in a sign language rich environment,” he explained. The ban was no longer in effect by the time Josh’s parents were in school, but teachers still punished students for signing in class by slapping them with a ruler.
Today, young persons with disabilities worldwide continue to experience exclusion in education.
According to UNESCO, children with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities are 2.5 times more likely to never attend school than their peers without disabilities. Many education systems are not designed to include learners with disabilities, lacking resources such as accessible classrooms and trained teachers. Cultural stigma is also a common problem, with some families hiding their children at home.
Inspired by his family’s experiences, Josh decided he wanted to pursue a career focused on equity and justice.
After earning his bachelor’s degree at California State University Northridge, Josh joined the Peace Corps, serving for two years as a Deaf education teacher in Kenya.
There were many challenges in the schools where Josh taught during his Peace Corps service, but he was impressed by the resilience of his students. Older children taught their younger peers how to communicate in Kenyan Sign Language, sharing new vocabulary and telling stories every night. They even taught their hearing teachers how to sign. “If they did not do it for each other, then who would do it for them?” Josh wondered.
After returning to the United States, Josh earned his master’s degree at Gallaudet University and joined USAID. He is now working with his colleagues to give young persons with disabilities access to the full benefits of education. As of 2021, USAID education programming has reached at least 300,000 young persons with disabilities in 50 countries.
For example, in Morocco, USAID has positively impacted the lives of young persons with disabilities. Although the Moroccan constitution gives all children the right to an education, only 15% of children who are deaf attend school. Families often pay out of pocket to give their children an education past eighth grade. Josh collaborated with the Moroccan Ministry of Education, and USAID colleagues Tom LeBlanc and Mariam Britel-Swift, to design multiple programs for learners with disabilities, such as Moroccan Sign Language for teachers and parents.
These efforts have paid off. Due to Moroccan Sign Language instruction, many deaf learners and their parents could communicate meaningfully with each other for the first time. The Ministry of Education also opened an office specializing in education for children with disabilities.
Another initiative Josh is helping to lead is the use of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL. This instructional approach allows teachers to adapt instruction so that all learners — including those with disabilities — can learn together in the same classroom. Due to Josh and his colleagues’ efforts, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced that USAID will promote the UDL approach in all new education programs at the Global Disability Summit.
Josh has many hopes for the future of inclusive education, such as making UDL a prerequisite for teacher training and increasing collaboration between the disability community and other marginalized groups. Most of all, Josh wants to see persons with disabilities in leadership roles: “The world needs more persons with disabilities who are not afraid to openly and proudly identify as disabled,” he said.
For these future leaders, Josh offers this advice: “You have value. Don’t wait for people to call on you and bring you to the table; raise your hand and speak out.”
About the Author
Allison Shefcyk is a Communications Specialist in the USAID Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation Program Office.
