"They don't want to believe in inclusive arts" : Experiences of Youth with Disabilities in an Inclusive Development Project in Addis Ababa

Sammanfattning

Abstract: This paper explores how youth with disabilities experience social inclusion and exclusion within an inclusive development project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study examines how participation in Katim Disability Dance shapes experiences of belonging, agency, and participation, while also pointing toward the structural and social barriers that limit inclusion outside the project space. The analysis is guided by Martha Nussbaum’s Capability Approach and draws on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with three youth participants, the founder of Katim, and two staff members from two disability inclusion organisations. The data was analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The findings show that youth with disabilities experience Katim as a space of belonging, emotional safety, self-expression and somewhere they can develop confidence, skills and a sense of agency. At the same time, participants describe exclusion generally in society, particularly in relation to accessibility, employment, stigma and limited institutional support. At the same time, the study brings up structural and social barriers that exist outside the project. While participants gain capabilities through their involvement in Katim, their ability to turn these capabilities into real opportunities remains constrained from external conditions. The study further shows difference in institutional support with uneven governmental engagement.