The Experiences of Children with Exceptionalities in Two Mainstream Primary Schools in Postcolonial Guyana

This paper is an outcome from the investigation into the learning and socializing experiences and opportunities of children with Special Education Needs and/or Disabilities (SEN/D) in the two mainstream primary schools in Guyana. This study was conducted using an ethnographic approach over two semesters in 2018 employing participant observation and unstructured interviews. The data gathered was analyzed using situational analysis as posited by Adele Clarke. It revealed that children with exceptionalities also find the two mainstream schools challenging while dealing with marginalization, discrimination and stay in your lane directives differently than their peers who were perceived as unteachable and unwanted in mainstream schools. The data reveals the innovativeness and resilience of the children with exceptionalities as they navigate the barriers, they face in the two mainstream schools. Finally, I reveal through the data the power interplay among the individual children with exceptionalities, children without SEN/D and their mainstream teachers.