What opportunities does the Moroccan educational system offer disabled citizens?

As a mathematician and an educator I often question the statistics that indicate students in the United States rank significantly lower in math and science compared to other countries. My belief is that other countries do not include disabled student when reporting this data. That is not true for the United States. For the past three years my school has participated in the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) exam. The NAEP examiners send us a list of students who will participate in the exam. The staff, teachers and administration, are not allowed to alter the list. I also believe that other countries do not educate disabled students to the same extent as the United States. Some of my experiences in Morocco supported this belief. Our Moroccan hostesses explained the educational system in the country. In order for students to move between grades they must pass national exams. This is true for both public school and private school students. In high school, these exams are used to help determine a learning track for a student. I asked about individual education plans but this question confused one of the hostesses. Once the concept was explained, the hostess stated that these types of accommodations were not made in the classroom. Any student was welcome to come to school but the learning was placed on the students shoulders. The national exams did not allow for accommodations or modifications. This included accommodations for the physically disabled such as visually impaired students. The cohort also toured a private and public school. Both physical spaces were not conducive to impaired students. There were no elevators or ramps and both schools had multiple stories. This conditions were also true in the schools located in Beni Mellal. In addition my host teachers public school in Beni Mellal only had electricity in one room therefore there were no lights and students attend school until 6:00 pm! I had difficulty seeing the board and I sat at

the front of the room. Student furniture was not friendly for disabled students. Student pairs work at a table with two attached chairs. I was distraught and disturbed to think that a brilliant child might be sitting at home because he or she was not considered normal. I spoke with my host teacher about my fears and concerns and she provided me with a bright light. She took my companions and me to her orphanage for disabled children. The orphanage accepted students who were deemed unadoptable by the Moroccan government because of disability issues and parentage. These unadoptable angels had a variety of cognitive delays, developmental delays, and physical disabilities. All were born to single women. This combination makes them unaccepted in the Islamic culture but my host teacher was fighting back. At the orphanage, she provides physical and emotional therapy for all children. One student attends pubic school. He has a one to one aid at the insistence of the school because the teachers are afraid of him. The aid is paid by the orphanage. The orphanage does not receive any public assistance. This woman has inspired others to help the less fortunate. The orphanage is located in a local community center. Also in this location is a daycare for autistic children. There is minimal education but this daycare does allow these children to have more social interactions. There is a training center for visually impaired citizens. In order to attend, the impairment had to occur due to an accident. Even though this is a restrictive requirement it is a start to special education. My Morocco experience has caused me to refocus my thoughts about the statistics. I worry less about what student populations are counted in these stats and more about how teachers can help special education students in Morocco. U.S. teachers can begin conversations with MATE (Moroccan Association of Teachers of English) to discuss language based disabilities. Teachers can also post and discuss special education student success stories. TGC alumni can encourage the State Department to offer increased travel opportunities for Moroccan teachers to visit U.S. public school.