Special Education Professionals is a non-profit body. It was founded in 1990 and registered as a society in Kenya in 2001. Every year, SEP has an average of 33 full members and 35 intern members. In 2021, SEP started with eight employees. It is piloted by a part-time volunteer director and a board composed of twelve members.
SEP is an organisation of therapists and special needs teachers working with children with disabilities. SEP works in a multidisciplinary team, applying a transdisciplinary approach. It focuses on the family, with parents becoming key partners for the intervention of their child. SEP operates in Nairobi and selected rural areas.
SEP is unique, as its members work with education and healthcare professionals from all over the world, learning from other views and approaches, while striving for a common goal. The professions represented within SEP are special needs education, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and psychology.
SEP’s core competencies are:
- transdisciplinary approach practiced by a multidisciplinary team to provide a holistic service
- high quality performance and initiative to improve the lives of children with disabilities and their families
- empowerment of communities
- tailoring and delivering high-level training to diverse audiences
- deep commitment to work across organisational boundaries
- emphasis on teamwork and encouragement of cooperation, collaboration and partnership
- existing trust and shared values among staff and volunteers
- dynamism and flexibility to adjust to changing environments
Vision Statement: An inclusive society where children with disabilities are actively participating in their families and communities, providing them equal opportunities to reach their fullest potential and live a quality life.
Mission Statement: SEP promotes early intervention and inclusion through transdisciplinary approach and skills development. Using the diverse expertise, SEP provides sustainable intervention that supports children with disabilities, empowers their families, caregivers, and professionals in collaboration with other stakeholders.
SEP’s programmes and activities are run in collaboration with various actors. Such stakeholders include non-governmental organisations (NGO’s), faith based organisations (FBO’s), community based organisations (CBO’s), peer institutions, the Government of Kenya, as well as various development partners.
Past and present counties where SEP operates
Project areas around Nairobi
