Imani Amanullah
Imani is a passionate advocate for inclusive education curriculums and amplifying minority voices through journalism. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in journalism after a BA in Politics and Sociology, Imani also founded The Forward Collective, an emerging digital hub focused on de-colonial knowledge-sharing and facilitating mutual aid.
“I interviewed my youngest cousin Umar and his mum Fozia about their experience of education here in the UK. Umar is nine years old and he has autism. His difference impacts his life in a lot of significant ways, mostly on a processing level – he struggles with things like understanding more than one instruction at a time.
Umar is the first person in our family to be diagnosed with autism (or any neurodivergence) so we were unsure how he would find school. Fozia had to fight to get Umar the help he needs to feel comfortable at school, but she’s also had to fight to be heard when she says that Umar is capable of learning the same content as his classmates. It means a lot to her that people understand that students with autism can achieve great things with a bit of understanding and support within their school environment.
Umar’s teacher, Aimee Scott, and a SEN specialist teacher, Nirvana Yarger, told me what it’s like on the other side of the classroom. Funding is a major barrier in accessing not only extra resources like sensory toys, but also adequate training. In short, the UK system is really overloaded and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the funding to stretch far enough.
I’m really grateful that Umar is now in a classroom where he’s better understood. He can take breaks when he wants to, he’s allowed to rely on writing things down rather than speech, he’s allowed to use his sensory toys. It’s a real change from a few years ago, when he was struggling to get through the day.
Doing this story has made me think about autistic students who have different experiences of education. Students whose parents don’t have the time or education to fight for the necessary support, or who’ve been waiting months for an EHCP. I find it heartbreaking that what should be a curious and exciting time in a child’s life is so often stressful because of a lack of funding.”