Document Library

Key Text The Right to Education for People With Disabilities: Towards Inclusion

Author: UNESCO
Date: 2004
Size: 2 pages (32 KB)

Access full text: available online

Summary

Realising the right to education for people with disabilities is challenging, but entirely necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. This EFA Flagship paper presents a rights-based case for the inclusion of all people with disabilities in basic education and their engagement at all levels in policy and processes to that end. The paper outlines the history and purpose of the EFA initiative and outlines six major issues that represent the immediate problems faced. A practical action framework is proposed.

It is estimated that over one third of the 115 million children currently out of school have disabilities. Links between poverty and disability are strong: both in terms of poorer children being less able to attend, and the resultant likelihood that poorly educated adults with disabilities are less able to function effectively in occupational settings. The obstacles presented to children with disabilities are not just those of physical inaccessibility, but also attitudinal barriers, both at home and school, of low expectations, overprotection and ostracism.

Six key issues for the EFA Flagship are of immediate relevance:

There is currently no satisfactory international working definition of disability, which hampers measurement/assessment of progress.
Education systems have a crucial role to play, but are under great stress – how can their capacity be extended to equitably meet the learning needs of all, without compromising quality? National planning, early childhood education, life-skills, inclusion or special classes/schools and non-formal education are all aspects of this discussion.
Additional financial and educational resources will be necessary to attain the EFA goal, but further study is required to assess the full cost.
Cooperation between professional and sectoral services is essential for dealing with disability within a cultural setting, and including people with disabilities in policy and measurement.
Of special consideration are women and girls with disability, and the issue of HIV/AIDS, which remains an almost unrecognised problem amongst disabled populations worldwide.
Annual EFA meetings included people with disabilities for first time in 2002, and if an expansion of outreach and engagement with the disabled community can be achieved globally, then it may be taken as an indicator of the Flagship's success.

The proposed framework for action specifies steps to be taken at global level:

Mobilising resources from donor and private sources must be a priority, and a five year work schedule should be developed and implemented.
Networking and advocacy for raising awareness, including developing a website and appointment of an international Flagship 'Goodwill Ambassador'.
Inter-Agency cooperation at all levels for liaison, networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Improved statistics/data; practical basic indicators should be explored and agreed on, and disability data made visible in EFA monitoring reports.
At regional/national level the following are needed: technical support for teacher training, awareness raising, workshops on the economics of disability and development, hiring strategies for people with disabilities, case studies of good practice, policy studies documenting existing laws, policies and procedures and use of the internet to create an information/experience sharing community amongst people with disabilities.

Access full text: available online

Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (2004) ‘The Right to Education for People With Disabilities: Towards Inclusion’, UNESCO, Paris
Author: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), http://www.unesco.org