Intervention development of “MIDDLE”: Mainstreaming and Inclusion of children with Developmental Disabilities in Ethiopia

Children with developmental disabilities in Ethiopia face substantial barriers in accessing education. Inclusion in mainstream schools can grant them access to education and benefit their learning and social development.Ninety-six stakeholders collaborated to develop an intervention to promote the inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.We conducted six workshops, six individual meetings and two small-group meetings to develop a programme theory using the Theory of Change approach, then developed and revised intervention materials through ten small-group meetings and two review panel meetings. Materials were based on stakeholder recommendations and existing interventions and theories.The resulting intervention, MIDDLE, “Mainstreaming and Inclusion of children with Developmental Disabilities in Learning in Ethiopia” is composed of (1) a community awareness raising session; (2) a group teacher training programme followed by supervision; (3) co-creation with school principals of two education pathways for children with DD with different support needs, in inclusive or special classes; (4) supplementary resources to support further initiatives.This study illustrates the potential of using ToC workshops, working group meetings, and panel reviews for co-developing education-sector interventions in resource-constrained contexts, with specific discussion of the Addis Ababa context in Ethiopia.