The Unequal Access to the Right to Education Among Black Learners and Children With Disabilities in South Africa, Eastern Cape Province

This paper examines the systemic and multidimensional barriers that impede equitable access to the constitutional right to education for black children with disabilities in South Africa. The study explores the problem in rural and other marginalized communities of the Eastern Cape province. Ubuntu philosophy is used as the framework to articulate the inhumanity of structural inequalities caused by inadequate infrastructure which perpetuates systemic and symbolic violence against black learners with disabilities. The study used a qualitative research approach and with the cases study drawn from Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (Komani) and Buffalo City Municipality (Qonce). Parents, guardians and key informants have been interviewed individually concerning the subject. Thematic analysis identifies three major thematic findings arising the from the broader study, infrastructural barriers; gloom and despair; and exclusionary nature of equality in South Africa. By prioritizing inclusive education, accessibility, and social justice, this paper contributes to the broader discourse on disability rights and educational equity in South Africa’s most disadvantaged regions.