Reimagining Inclusive Education for Deaf Learners in Nigeria From Placement to Participation

This chapter interrogates how “inclusive education” for deaf learners in Nigeria is enacted and proposes a shift from placement/integration models toward language-informed and disability-informed approaches. Grounded in Deaf epistemologies, the sociocultural paradigm of Deaf Studies, and postcolonial theory, it clarifies distinctions among special, deaf, and inclusive education; presents a four-part model of inclusion; and maps policy commitments alongside persistent implementation gaps. Centering linguistic justice with Nigerian Sign Language as a primary language of instruction, it synthesizes student narratives and offers actionable reforms: mandatory NSL teacher training, recruitment of Deaf educators, curriculum integration of Deaf Studies, consistent interpreter provision, and schoolwide visual-access routines. The chapter culminates in a policy-ready inclusion model for Nigeria.