Inclusive Education For All. Let's Break Silos for Disability-Inclusive Education

Inclusive education is a transformative process that ensures that education systems cater for the needs of all learners and are able to provide quality education for all, in settings where all children learn together, free from segregation and discrimination.

However, in low- and middle-income countries, some 50% of children with disabilities are excluded from education. When they are in school, they are often educated in separated settings or do not receive adequate support to thrive in education. As a result, many children with disabilities often fail to receive even the most basic of educations and do not progress to secondary and tertiary levels of education and training.

Children with disabilities face obstacles both within and outside the education system. Within the education system, obstacles include inaccessible infrastructures, non-adapted materials, non-adapted curricula, lack of teachers’ preparation, and segregation of children with disabilities in separated settings. Outside the education system, obstacles encompass the persisting stigma and discrimination towards persons with disabilities, limited access to quality health care, lack of assistive technologies and devices, violence and lack of security, inaccessible or unsafe journey to school, and poverty of the households.

The existence of multiple and interconnected factors causing education exclusion requires stakeholders to break with siloed approaches and to work collaboratively across sectors (education, health, rehabilitation, protection, livelihood…) to ensure the right to education for all children including children with disabilities.

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted what we already know; that humanitarian crises of any type or length can profoundly impact the wellbeing of children and young people, their mental health, family and community cohesion, and increase the risk for children to be exposed to violence or exploitation. The complexity and interdependency of children’s care, safety, wellbeing and education in times of crisis requires the adoption or strengthening of coordinated multi-sectoral approaches.

Text captioning will be available during the conference.

Documents

Speakers

Member of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen's Cabinet, DG INTPA

Renaud Savignat

Education in Emergencies Policy Officer, DG ECHO

Kamila Partycka

Inclusive Education Policy Officer, Humanity & Inclusion

Sandrine Bohan Jacquot

Global Disability Lead, Save the Children

Martina Orsander

President, National Blind Sports Association of Rwanda

William Safari

Venue

Webex Meetings

InfoPoint Virtual Conference via Webex Meetings