Ubuntu and Mental Wellness: Promoting Holistic Health Education for Special Needs Learners (SNLS) in African Schools

Each environmental system connects local communities, organizations, and public institutions to promote health and inclusive education. Promoting inclusivity for people with disabilities begins by addressing stigma, particularly around health and mental wellness. Children with disabilities often face stigma and marginalization, both in communities and schools, where limiting beliefs about their abilities lead to discrimination.
This paper explores how different environmental systems, both proximal and distal, impact the lives of children with disabilities, focusing on inclusive education systems that support their mental wellness, health, and development. Ubuntu is adopted as a guiding philosophy in African schools to promote holistic health education for persons with disabilities. Using an ecological paradigm, this paper highlights narratives of people with special needs and emphasizes the role of school leadership, policies, and families in supporting inclusive health education and mental wellness.