The EAC Supports Launch of the Inclusive Universities Network (IUN) to Advance Disability Inclusion in Higher Education

Overview

Six universities spanning Kenya and the UK have joined forces to establish the Inclusive Universities Network (IUN), a formal collaboration dedicated to accelerating inclusive practices across higher education. Officially launched on 17 February 2026 in Nairobi, the Network brings together Nottingham Trent University (NTU), Strathmore University, Pwani University, Garissa University, The Open University of Kenya, and United States International University-Africa (USIU-A).

The IUN has become one of NTU's Eastern Africa Centre (EAC) newest initiatives. The EAC is actively supporting the launch and growth of the Network, initially across Kenya, with a longer-term ambition to expand its reach across the wider African region.

The Case for a Network

Kenyan partner universities have identified shared but distinct challenges: gaps in formal disability policy, limited staff capacity, inaccessible infrastructure, fragmented data, and the persistent difficulty of translating national legislation into consistent institutional practice. Cultural barriers and uneven levels of preparedness mean that students with diverse needs continue to experience significantly different levels of support depending on their institution.

The IUN was founded to address this unevenness, not by imposing a single model, but by creating the conditions for universities to learn from and with one another. Notably, the Network draws on lessons from both Kenya and the UK, ensuring a bidirectional exchange of knowledge and practice.

Values and Objectives

The Network adopted six core values at its founding workshop: Inclusivity, Compassion, Collaboration, Evidence-Based Practice, Integrity and Transparency, and Translating Policy into Practice. These underpin five strategic objectives:

Promote interdisciplinary research on inclusivity in higher education
Improve accessibility and participation across partner institutions
Build advocacy, leadership, and institutional capacity
Encourage innovative policy and practice
Mobilise sustainable resources for inclusive education

Different Starting Points, One Direction

Institutional openness at the launch revealed a wide spectrum of readiness. Some universities are still developing foundational disability policies, while others have established dedicated support structures. USIU-Africa, for example, operates a centralised Disability Inclusion Services Department serving close to 190 registered students, with assistive technologies and faculty guidance embedded within institutional systems. Pwani University has developed a committee-based accommodation model that brings together academic, administrative, legal, and student voices, though stigma around disclosure remains an ongoing challenge.

Strathmore University, meanwhile, is working to expand psychological support and educator training. Its iLab Africa initiative offers a compelling model of inclusion in practice, equipping neurodivergent young adults with digital skills and pathways into employment, demonstrating that genuine inclusion must extend well beyond campus access.

Disability-inclusive higher education is a global issue, and there is no single standard for addressing it. What is striking about the Kenyan universities in this Network is that they are developing genuinely innovative approaches, often under significant resource constraints, that offer real insights for institutions worldwide, including here in the UK. The Eastern Africa Centre (EAC) is supporting the IUN because it is tackling a critical gap in access to higher education, and doing so with the kind of contextual creativity that the field urgently needs. The learning runs in both directions, and that is what makes this partnership so valuable

Professor Mazeda Hossain

This network represents more than a partnership, it is a collective commitment to ensuring every student, regardless of background or ability, can thrive.., by sharing knowledge, aligning our practices, and learning from one another, we are building a future where inclusion is not just an aspiration but a lived reality across our universities

Dr Abdishakur Tarah

Roots of the Collaboration

The NTU-Kenya partnership began in April 2023, when NTU colleagues facilitated an inclusive practices workshop during Strathmore University's academic staff development day. Led by Dr Gary McGalddery, Head of Disability and Inclusion Support Services at NTU, Dr Abdishakur Tarah, Senior Lecturer in Education Policy at Nottingham Institute of Education, NTU and Richard Fletcher, Dyslexia Specialist at NTU, the session introduced many participants to concepts such as access statements and practical approaches to neurodiversity for the first time, sparking sustained interest in formalising a broader collaboration.

Richard Fletcher reflected on the exchange:

Participating in this work reframed our own Disability and Inclusion practice within a UK context. NTU is among the first universities in the UK to sign the Disabled Students' Commitment, of approximately 150 to 160 institutions, only around 17 have done so. Delivering a workshop at the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), covering dyslexia, co-occurrence, stigma, and AI, was a particular highlight. Engaging with trainee teachers reinforced how international networks grow through shared projects and meaningful exchange

Richard Fletcher

SDG 4 (Quality Education): Embedding inclusive teaching, assessment adjustments, and equitable digital access
SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Standardising accommodations, scaling support services, and closing the gap between policy and practice
SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): Formalising multi-country collaboration, co-producing evidence, and mobilising sustainable resources

Work is now underway across five priority areas:

Research: Developing a joint study on policy-practice gaps in disability-inclusive higher education across Kenya and the UK.
Governance: Establishing formal procedures and structures to guide the Network's decision-making and long-term development
Policy engagement: Producing policy briefings to be shared with the Kenyan Ministry of Education, drawing on evidence gathered across member institutions
Sustainability: Developing a funding proposal to secure resources for the Network's continued growth and regional expansion
Knowledge exchange: Presenting lessons and emerging models at inclusive education conferences, ensuring that the Network contributes actively and visibly to wider sector debates