ABSTRACT
Early childhood education (ECE) scaffolds the development of academic and interpersonal skills to enhance children’s future quality of life. Thus, it is critical to address issues of equitable access to education as a process of enrichment; for children with disabilities, ECE is often not a venue of enhancing experiences and community membership with peers. This chapter proposes adopting the capability approach as a theoretical framework to reframe inclusive education for children with disabilities, incorporating philosophies of acceptance, freedom, and respect of personhood, in ECE settings. The first section examines barriers that marginalize children with disabilities in ECE: the conceptualization of “inclusive education” as a synonym of special education and the dominant language of needs and resources in ECE. Next, the capability approach and its foundational concepts are outlined. The barriers discussed in the beginning of the chapter are explored through the capability approach. The chapter ends with implications for how this approach may influence practices, thereby enabling children with disabilities more opportunities to be agents in their learning and to participate in decisions that matter in their lives.
