Inclusive Education:

An Introduction
Cover: An inclusive school, Sierra Leone; Above: Every child has the right to a high-quality education
About Leonard Cheshire Disability About this paper
Leonard Cheshire Disability is a UK-based The world has a goal: universal primary
organisation with five regional offices in Africa education, the second of the Millennium
and Asia. Our joint projects with partner Development Goals (MDGs), calls for all
organisations support children with disabilities children to complete primary school. The right
to go to school, adults with disabilities to of children with disabilities to a high-quality
earn a living, and all disabled people to access education alongside their peers is also enshrined
the rehabilitation, health and other support in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
they need. We also campaign to change attitudes with Disabilities (CRPD). The question of how
and improve services, and our 50 years of best to achieve this is more complicated. This
international experience is backed up by our paper explores how Leonard Cheshire Disability
inclusive development research centre run approaches this issue and how our projects
jointly with University College London. All of support children with disabilities to get the
this puts us in a prime position to share education that they, and all children, deserve.
good practice and innovation through the
Leonard Cheshire Disability Global Alliance,
a network of disability and development
organisations in 54 countries.

Contents

1. What is inclusive education page 4

2. Children first: how our inclusive education programme works page 10

3. Challenges to inclusive education page 22

Inclusive Education 3
What is inclusive education?
Education is a right
Every child in the world has the right to a In most countries, attending the local,
primary education: this lies at the heart of the mainstream school is not just the best, most
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed equitable option for disabled children, it
by every country in 2000. Although disability was is the only option. Often there simply are no
not originally included in the MDGs, this was appropriate or affordable special schools
rectified in September 2010 when disability was or classes for children with disabilities. Making
officially acknowledged with regard to the MDGs.1 every school inclusive is the best way to
reach and teach all girls and boys, disabled
MDG 2 universal primary education
or not.
(UPE) was reinforced by the worlds most
recent human rights treaty, the United Nations
Why focus on disability?
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD), when it came into force in The world has made great strides towards
2008. The CRPD recognises that children with educating all children:
disabilities have the right to the full range
Since 1999, the number of children out of
of educational opportunities. Article 24 says:
school has fallen by 39 million to 61 million.
States Parties recognise the right of
In India, the number of children out of school
persons with disabilities to education.
fell by 15 million in just two years.
With a view to realising this right without
discrimination and on the basis of equal In sub-Saharan Africa, total primary school
opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an enrolment stood at 124 million in 2007, up by
inclusive education system at all levels 42 million since 1999.2

4 Leonard Cheshire Disability

Yet children with disabilities are still This disproportionate exclusion means that
disproportionately excluded from school. disabled children miss out on educations
Worldwide, there are approximately 106 million lifelong benefits a better job, more social
children with disabilities.3 And, while roughly and economic security, and more opportunities
a billion children are in school globally, the UN for full participation in society. For instance,
estimates that of the 61 million children now a persons potential income can increase as much
out of school, a third have disabilities.4 Most as 10% with each additional year of schooling.11
out-of-school children live in Sub-Saharan Africa Basic reading and writing skills also improve
(43%) and South and West Asia (27%)5, where health: a baby born to a mother who can read is
Leonard Cheshire Disability supports inclusive 50% more likely to survive past the age of
education projects. five. In Bangladesh, the risk of stunting is reduced
by 22% for children of mothers who completed
In some countries, the statistics for children
primary education.12
with disabilities are even worse:

In India, children with disabilities are five

times more likely to be out of school than
the national average6, leading to an illiteracy
rate among disabled people of up to 75%.7

Also in India, a 2007 World Bank study

found that disability is a stronger correlate
to non-enrolment than gender or class.8

In Nepal, almost 6% of school-age children

are out of school. Of these, an estimated
85% are children with disabilities.9

In Malawi and Tanzania, having disabilities Inclusive schools can reach every child
doubles the probability of children never
having attended school.10

Inclusive Education 5
Children with and without disabilities can learn and play in the same class
How do we define inclusive education? At the same time, we recognise that children
may be affected by more than one issue. A
Children learning together in the same
disabled child may also speak the language of a
classroom, using materials appropriate to their
minority ethnic group, or be a refugee, or, if she
various needs, and participating in the same
is a girl, her family and society may not value
lessons and recreation: that is inclusive education.
girls education. We believe that making schools
In an inclusive school, children with disabilities
inclusive for boys and girls with disabilities
do not study in separate classes; instead teaching
improves them for all learners, including students
methods, textbooks, materials, and the school
facing exclusion because of other challenges, or
environment are designed so that girls and
more than one issue.
boys with a range of abilities and disabilities
including physical, sensory, intellectual
Strengthening inclusive education systems
and mobility impairments can be included
in the same class. As the world strives to educate every child,
inclusive education programmes have a crucial
By definition, inclusive education includes all
role to play in ensuring that schools are not
learners, but it may be interpreted differently
only inclusive but also effective. Ugandas UPE
according to the context. For example,
programme, one of the first in Africa, included
while it covers children excluded on the basis
disabled children from its beginning in 1997.
of language, gender, ethnicity, disability
and other factors, Leonard Cheshire Disability Yet in October 2010 the Uganda Human
focuses on children with disabilities. Rights Commission noted that while this
strategy has been largely successful, the policy
framework lacked an effective monitoring
mechanism to ensure that children with
disabilities are in school. Other challenges
included a lack of access and adapted teaching
and learning materials, such as Braille books.13

Inclusive Education 7
Government policy can promote inclusive education
What makes schools inclusive? In some Asian countries, the concept of inclusive
education is still being defined. For instance
A 2008 Leonard Cheshire Disability survey in
in India Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a government
two districts of Uganda, Budaka and Mukono,
programme to provide useful and relevant
found that, despite the UPE policy, specific
elementary education for all children aged six to
issues kept many girls and boys with disabilities
14, promotes inclusive education; however there
out of school. These included physically
are no clear national guidelines on how it is to be
inaccessible schools, poor teacher training
implemented. State governments are responsible
around disability, and a lack of assistive
for drawing up their own inclusive education
devices and appliances adapted to support
policy and strategy, with educational provision for
learning, mobility and communication.
disabled children mostly focused on allowances,
By addressing each of these issues, Leonard accessibility and teacher sensitisation.14
Cheshire Disability and our partners
The governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan,
the National Council of Cheshire Services
however, do not have a mandate to provide
of Uganda, the Ministry of Education
inclusive education. It may be taken up on a
and Sports, Kyambogo University and district
school by school basis, resulting in some schools
education offices were able to support
including disabled children while others choose
nearly 1,000 children with disabilities to start
not to. In these cases, inclusive education relies
and stay in school. In this case, universal
in large part on the motivation of individual
primary education has progressed from being
schools (management committees, head
an idea to being truly universal. Parents
teachers and other teachers) which could leave
now come from distant schools in the district
the inclusive education approach susceptible
asking about schools that enrol children
to unpredictable changes in staff and local
with disabilities says the head teacher of
circumstances.15
Lupada Primary School in Budaka.

Inclusive Education 9
Children first: how our inclusive education
In a Leonard Cheshire Disability inclusive Rather than a child adapting to suit a school,
education project, the starting point is the inclusive schools adapt to suit children with
child. In a non-inclusive system, children disabilities, and all their other pupils. This
with disabilities may be required to attend process relies on change and support at every
separate schools or units designed for level, from parents to governments.
different impairment groups regardless of
Leonard Cheshire Disabilitys inclusive education
where they live or their other needs.
projects typically last for at least five years.
Or, they might attend regular classes in their During that time we will facilitate this change
community schools but without getting any through the following approaches, although
particular support or effective teaching. This the order in which they are implemented may
may be a problem for their classmates as well, vary. The goal is that once the project has been
especially if teachers original training was completed, a sustainable inclusive education
inadequate or classes are very large. system will be in place.

In an inclusive system, local, mainstream schools

Identify childrens needs and rights
adapt so that they can provide a full education
to every child. Inclusive education follows a A project typically begins with a baseline study
rights-based model as stated in Article 24.2.b of to identify children with disabilities who do and
the CRPD: Persons with disabilities can access an do not attend school, support services, education
inclusive, quality and free primary education and social policies, and barriers to inclusion
and secondary education on an equal basis with in an area. Inclusion starts at this point, with
others in the communities in which they live. the baseline study as a participatory process
involving children, parents and families, teachers,
community leaders and local organisations.

10 Leonard Cheshire Disability

programme works
Projects may use different methods for their If such services are not available in an area, a
surveys, but all should involve the people who disabled child can still take part in the inclusive
know how to find children who dont attend education project the project will just need
school, and what support they might need to do to adapt its efforts to support the child. The
so. Often it is children who have this information project will also stimulate local service provision
about their peers, so their views should always through lobbying, advocacy, working with parents
be taken into consideration. Results then and other activities to ensure that they become
inform the projects activities and can lead to sustainable over time.
the establishment of an ongoing mechanism
to identify children with disabilities and help Parents and families: a two-way process
prepare them to enter the education system.
Mothers, fathers and other family members
Early identification helps minimise the impact are also crucial to the success of an inclusive
that impairments may have on childrens education project. They are the people who know
development and optimises chances of inclusion their children, sisters or brothers with disabilities,
both in school and in society. It can also and who may have the best understanding of
lead to early intervention, which often produces both their problems and abilities. Some families
better results for the child and can be more will want to take an active role in their childrens
cost effective. To make identification and education, while others will be happy to
intervention programmes sustainable, our projects work with other people to get the child into
support them to take place through existing school. Either way, an inclusive education
local government or institutional systems such as project will communicate with and involve them
pre-school screening, mother and child clinics, in many ways.
other health clinics, etc.

Inclusive Education 11
Identifying and supporting children at home: Since travelling to and from school is often
an important issue for children with
Families are often the first point of contact
disabilities, parents may organise transport
in the projects process of identifying a
and lobby for accessible public transportation
disabled child.
or roads. Primary schools are usually in
When they know that a project is taking the same village or neighbouring village with
place in their area, they may also come no public transport. Appropriate personal
forward to tell the school or community mobility devices and support from the existing
workers about their child. community could be another viable option.

Parents or siblings can also learn skills such Advocacy options:

as simple stimulation techniques, basic
When there are social protection programmes
physiotherapy or sign language to support the
or other entitlements that can support children
child, as well as how to make and maintain
with disabilities, the project can support
assistive devices using local materials.
parents to become aware of and access them.
Parents and schools:
As mothers and fathers become disability
Mothers and fathers can be invaluable as advocates, they can spread the message of
volunteer classroom assistants in schools and inclusion in their communities.
as members of school committees, and, once
Parents sometimes go on to become project
encouraged, often advocate for inclusive
and community leaders.
policies and practices.
Once the formal project ends, parents will
Projects form parents groups, which are
be in place to keep its activities functioning
an essential part of the project. Many
and reaching out to other children.
will have been involved in the project since
the baseline survey, and together they
can plan, advocate and provide services for
their own and other disabled children.

12 Leonard Cheshire Disability

Kenya: changing a mothers attitudes
and a childs future

When Moses was born with a hearing impairment, Moses mother was invited to an awareness-raising
his parents were distraught and thought that workshop organised by the Leonard Cheshire
there was no point in trying to communicate with Disability project and went on to join the local
him. They even locked him away in their house parents support group. She says of the group,
when they went to work and excluded him from we share our experiences and this has helped
any family activities. Not surprisingly, Moses me to be a better mother to Moses. We now
became very isolated and withdrawn. involve him in various activities at home, unlike
before when we would leave him out. Moses then
entered his local school: the projects influence
Above: Sign language being taught in a mainstream on his parents attitude and behaviour has had a
primary school, Kenya positive impact on Moses future.

Inclusive Education 13
Engage the community In an inclusive education project, community
members will often:
Children, parents, families, teachers and
education officials all live in communities. take part in consultations and project
Leonard Cheshire Disabilitys projects illustrate meetings before the project starts, including
that inclusive education works best when all identifying children with disabilities in
sectors of society are involved. Key stakeholders their area
within inclusive education programmes
join, participate in and manage local
include local civil society leaders, community
project committees
leaders, religious leaders, local government
representatives and other relevant contacts. run regular awareness meetings for others
Local organisations including non-governmental in their community
organisations, implementing partner organisations
take part in school management committees
and disabled peoples organisations also
participate. Each can play an important role in participate in assessing school accessibility
facilitating the projects implementation and and the need for adjustments to make schools
development. more accessible

As a result of partnerships with local communities help identify children with disabilities
within our projects, there is increasing evidence in the area
of children with disabilities being accepted within
Through these activities, inclusive education
the school community. In turn, more parents
projects work towards building an inclusive
and children come forward to be included in the
society in which every person, with or without
programme.
disabilities, is accepted and can thrive.

14 Leonard Cheshire Disability

National, regional and local At the start of an inclusive education project,
governments: influence policy Leonard Cheshire Disability and our partners will
and practice analyse current government policy and isolate
exactly how it needs to change to become
The ministry of education and local education
inclusive for children with disabilities. Depending
authorities play a pivotal role in influencing
on the circumstances, we might:
the education system and making it more flexible,
so it is vital to engage them in the project. One advocate for a flexible curriculum and
first step may be to advocate for governments inclusive assessment system
to sign, ratify and implement the CRPD. Lobbying
lobby national authorities to produce books
can focus on curriculum change, teacher
and other learning materials in a range
training and financial support to make schools
of formats that can be used by children with
inclusive, for example.
different impairments

work with the government and universities

to change the teacher training curriculum
so that teachers learn how to teach girls and
boys with a wide range of impairments and
improve their skills as child-centred teachers
for all their pupils

lobby for funding to make schools physically

accessible, for instance building ramps, rails
and accessible toilets

Teacher training is vital for effective inclusive education

Inclusive Education 15
Policy change needs to happen at all levels Philippines: Successful partnership
with the government
In cases where there is no specific policy on
including children with disabilities, the project Leonard Cheshire Disability and the
will encourage national and local education Department of Education in the Philippines
authorities to develop inclusive strategies worked together to devise a 20102011
within overall education policies. When there strategy to make 30 selected schools more
are exclusive or outdated policies, stakeholders inclusive. Teachers and head teachers
ranging from national and local education officials were invited to contribute to the joint
to community groups can contribute to updating planning process using participatory methods
and changing them. It is important to include and focus group discussions.
all relevant government ministries in this process,
The participants in the planning groups
as education policy may need to link to health
were then able to design strategic and
and transport policy, for example, to become
realistic plans to implement inclusive
truly inclusive.
education programmes, ultimately
Change on paper can be easy; in practice it is increasing the enrolment rate of children
often more complicated. For this reason a with disabilities. They then showed their
Leonard Cheshire Disability inclusive education support and commitment to the process by
project monitors policy implementation and signing a manifesto to follow through on the
creates structures to do this after the project implementation of the plans.
formally ends. These can include community
advocacy groups and stakeholder groups within
universities, government ministries, etc. Our
goal is for attitudes and practices to become
inclusive at all levels.

16 Leonard Cheshire Disability

Making schools welcoming and accessible
Children with disabilities, like all children, are
individuals and have their own needs and abilities.
While boys and girls with mobility impairments
may have trouble entering inaccessible school
buildings, children with sensory impairments may
primarily face communication issues. However it
is important that those running a project dont
assume that they know what the barriers will
be: for instance, a blind child may have trouble
getting around a classroom even though she
doesnt have a specific mobility impairment. All children benefit from adapted and improved
classrooms
The project will build ramps and accessible
toilets; adjustments to support children with
visual impairments will include enlarging No two schools will necessarily need the same
classroom windows or installing clear plastic adaptations, just as no two children will have
sheeting to let light in through roofs. Changes exactly the same disabilities and abilities. The
to the physical environment, such as painting project, though, should ensure that all childrens
the edge of steps in bright colours, edging paths, access needs are met and that they are welcomed
painting doors different colours to walls, etc., into the school community. This extends to
will improve school safety and accessibility making broader, systemic changes in the way the
for all children. school is organised, including altering buildings
and grounds that will enable disabled children to
attend in the future, even if there are no children
who need those alterations in a certain years
school intake.

Inclusive Education 17
A trained teacher helps this boy in his home so he will be ready to start school
Teacher training Pre-service training, with student teachers
at teacher training colleges or universities, can
Many teachers were never taught how to
obviously cover these subjects in more depth.
teach children with disabilities, or generally how
Leonard Cheshire Disability projects therefore
to teach in a child-friendly, active way. In fact,
support adding inclusive education to the
in many of our projects teachers share that,
teacher training curriculum, and so teacher
before our intervention, they never realised that
training institutions are often among our
they could.
project partners.
To rectify this, our projects include both in-
In some countries we have extended this to
service and pre-service teacher training. We
work with the ministry of education and various
often start by training two teachers from
universities to modify and expand the official
each participating school through short-term
teacher training curriculum. Disabled peoples
workshops led by teacher training institutions.
organisations, other educational organisations
These teachers then return and spread the
and teachers unions also often work with us to
inclusive education message and methodology
develop the curriculum.
to the other staff.

Subjects covered can include participatory, The teachers excitement and pride
child-centred teaching and learning methods, at receiving this new skill and teaching
an introduction to sign language, and creating qualification were inspiring and make
inclusive materials. Where possible we work me believe that inclusive education will
with teacher training institutions to develop continue to spread.
a structured training programme leading to a
Professor Osman Bah,
recognised certificate or qualification.
Regional Programme Manager,
Leonard Cheshire Disability West Africa
Regional Office, Sierra Leone

Inclusive Education 19
Children and peer learning
Inclusive education projects make extensive use
of child-to-child clubs, a methodology developed
to help children learn from each other and
bring what they learn back to their homes and
communities.

Always popular with the children themselves, in

child-to-child clubs disabled and non-disabled
children share, learn, play and voice their
opinions together. The clubs:

bridge the gap, both in terms of interaction

and experience, between disabled and
Children are often effective agents of change
non-disabled children so that they can play
and learn together

enable the non-disabled children to understand One of the main strengths of the clubs is that
the needs and abilities of disabled children children learn through having fun. In clubs of
and provide disabled children with equal six to eight members, children often create and
opportunities for participation present plays, and take part in puppet shows,
singing, dancing, story telling and art projects at
support stakeholders such as school authorities,
weekly meetings.
parents and other family members to learn
about the importance of inclusive education Children can then progress from there to consider
and its effective implementation larger issues, such as learning sign language to
communicate with deaf peers. Clubs also model
an inclusive society, and can spread the messages
of inclusion within their communities.

20 Leonard Cheshire Disability

India: Puppets tell an important story

In Pollibetta, Coorg in India, Leonard Cheshire

Disability supports the teachers at Ammathy
school to run an after school puppetry club.
Children with and without disabilities work
together to put on puppet shows for the rest
of the school and the local community. Since
there are many boys and girls with speech
and hearing impairments, communication
was difficult at first. With the support and
encouragement of their teachers, they
quickly learned to adapt and communicate in
their own individual ways, helping the deaf
childrens confidence and developing awareness
of disability issues among the non-disabled
children.

Initially, the puppet shows involved puppetry

based around general themes chosen by
the children. But as the club developed, the
teachers introduced specific themes about
disability, such as a story that revolved
around one of the puppets going to school in
a wheelchair. As well as educating the
children about inclusive education, when
performed in front of parents and the wider
community it raised awareness of how
children with disabilities can and should be Play and drama using puppets raised awareness of
included at school. inclusive education in Coorg
Inclusive Education 21
Challenges to inclusive education
Classroom size and the ratio
of teachers to children
Large class sizes and a low student-teacher Campaigning for improvements to funding
ratio are problems for all children and teachers and structuring of educational systems within
in some countries, and can reduce enthusiasm countries can be one of the best ways to
for teaching what may be seen as even more tackle this since it is usually the ministry of
diverse ability ranges in a class. This can education that is responsible for hiring
be particularly true when class sizes are very teachers.
large in some countries they can include
up to 100 children. Negative attitudes among Wider accessibility issues
teachers may then translate into negative
Many children walk long distances to attend
teaching methods and frustration at the pace
school, and a combination of a lack of adequate
at which some children work.
transportation, difficult terrain, poor quality
In some cases this leads to labelling children as roads and the associated cost to families make
slow learners and offering no encouragement to many schools inaccessible to girls and boys with
learn at their own pace. At worst it may lead disabilities. Girls in particular may be at more
to teachers physically punishing children for what risk of exclusion if their parents keep them
is perceived to be poor performance. Such at home because of fears for their safety and
attitudes can lead to further marginalisation security when travelling to and from school.
of children with disabilities at school.

22 Leonard Cheshire Disability

Getting to and from school can be a challenge

Mothers or fathers, or older sisters or brothers, Lack of access to toilets in school can also be
may carry smaller children but this can a major barrier for children with disabilities. If
eventually become too difficult. Building ramps a child cannot use the toilet all day while at
and creating physically accessible schools school, he or she is much less likely to attend.
is important, but so too is creating sustainable Even if toilets have been adapted to make them
community transport solutions between home accessible, they must be maintained. In cases
and school. This is an increasing part of Leonard where schools do not have adapted toilets, they
Cheshire Disabilitys inclusive education may use this as an excuse to keep boys and girls
projects, as well as a campaigning focus for with disabilities out of the school, saying that
us and our partner organisations. there are no staff helpers who can take children
to the washroom. When a Leonard Cheshire
Disability project adapts school grounds to make
them accessible, water and sanitation facilities
are always included.

Inclusive Education 23
Children need understanding by
education and community health staff
The lack of educational psychologists or even the
regular use of simple assessment tools means
that many teachers are unaware of the potential
or needs of the young people in their classrooms.
This gap also makes it hard to understand what
progress a programme might or should achieve,
and how to measure whether the education
service is providing quality and having the best
possible impact.

This can be a particularly difficult issue for

children with multiple disabilities and sensory
impairments. Prevailing attitudes in some
places are that these children belong in special
schools or are not capable of learning. This
may result from a lack of understanding of the Assessments help children get the support they need
ethos of inclusive education; for example some
people advocate home-based education or While there may be a role for home education
the use of resource teachers who visit the and resource teachers for some children
mainstream school once a month only to track within our projects, our focus will always be
if the child attends school. on changing school cultures towards inclusion.
Used by themselves, such approaches do
not lead to inclusion or fundamental change
of education systems or societies.

24 Leonard Cheshire Disability

 Post-conflict countries
Quality education is absolutely After a conflict or emergency, education is often
disrupted for all children. If the system is being
important in post-conflict and rebuilt during this period, it is often a good
reconstruction phases. We need opportunity to build back better and make it
inclusive from the start. This has been Leonard
to focus on cultivating in children Cheshire Disabilitys experience of implementing
a love of learning and enable inclusive education projects in Sierra Leone and
Liberia, two countries recovering from nearly a
them to appreciate each other decade of civil war.
and therefore welcome differences In both countries we have worked with local
on ethnicity, religion, languages organisations, government officials, school
authorities and communities to adapt schools to
and cultural differences, make them accessible. Teacher training was also
which in some cases are being essential in these countries, as the teachers had
had little or no support of any kind as a result of
the reasons for conflict. the war.

Kishore Singh, United Nations Special From 2012 a Leonard Cheshire Disability inclusive
Rapporteur on the Right to Education, education and research project will document
speaking to UNICEF in 2011 the best ways to make schools inclusive in post-
conflict countries. Results will be published in
education and development journals and shared
on our website and in print.

Inclusive Education 25
When religion is an issue The larger issues
In some societies religious leaders are also Education cannot be fully inclusive until
community leaders, and they often have a role to society is fully inclusive, which, sadly, remains
play in most communities. Religious leaders are a far-off goal. By this we mean that even if
in an excellent position to influence stakeholders, a school building, facilities, curriculum, child-
so Leonard Cheshire Disability projects will to-child club and education policy are inclusive,
include them as much as possible. elsewhere access remains a huge issue. Children
may have difficulty getting to school, or lack
For instance in Pakistan, where religious leaders
access to the devices they need, such as adapted
can be particularly influential, our inclusive
wheelchairs or specialist eyeglasses. They may
education project held a meeting for religious
have trouble doing their homework because
leaders from across the area. Participants
furniture doesnt support them properly or there
discussed how traditional leaders could provide
is not enough light.
an impetus for inclusive education and were
encouraged to find ways to help spread awareness On leaving an inclusive primary school, they may
that children with disabilities could go to not find a secondary school that meets their
mainstream schools. needs. Later, they may find that workplaces are
not accessible or employers discriminate against
Some of the religious leaders then included
people with disabilities.
these issues in their religious discourses. Such
recognition inspires people in the community to
support inclusive education, and helps fight
the ignorance or discrimination that might have
kept children with disabilities out of school
and out of community life.

26 Leonard Cheshire Disability

Leonard Cheshire Disabilitys programmes also
address these larger issues, particularly by
working and running projects with our partner
organisations that provide rehabilitation services,
assistive devices and livelihoods support. Young
Voices, our campaigning project for young
people with disabilities in 22 countries, offers a
platform for the disabled young people to become
campaigners for full inclusion as they grow into
adults. Young Voices lobbies for governments to
sign, ratify and implement the UNCRPD at the
local, national and international levels.

As an organisation we are also part of global

campaigning groups to make policy and practice Inclusive education can lead to an inclusive society
accessible across countries. These include
our status as an organisation with special Inclusive education may be the beginning of
consultative status with the UN and membership the change needed to end exclusion, as it
of the Global Partnership for Disability and supports children, families and communities to
Development (GPDD), a World Bank initiative. recognise that people with disabilities have equal
We are also active members of the International rights. By supporting disabled girls and boys
Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), to go to school and bring the MDGs and UNCRPD
a group of disability and development to life, we reinforce the model of inclusion for
organisations that work with the UN, European society. When the children in inclusive schools
Union, national governments and other non- grow up, whether they are disabled or non-
governmental organisations. disabled, they will have lived with the diversity
that characterises human life. A future inclusive
society then rests with them.

Inclusive Education 27
Notes
1The General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session adopted the
Leonard Cheshire Disability
resolution, Realization of MDGs for persons with disabilities for
2015 and beyond, September 2010 66 South Lambeth Road
London SW8 1RL
2UNESCO, GMR Report 2010, for all bullet points, and Education
For All Global Monitoring Report Policy Paper 04, June 2012 +44 (0)20 3242 0200
3World Report on Disability, 2011, the World Health Organization
and the World Bank, quoting a WHO study, The global burden FAX FAX +44 (0)20 3242 0250
of disease: 2004 update. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008.
international@[Link]
4 UNESCO, GMR Report, 2007 and UNESCO, GMR Report 2011
5Global Partnership for Education, [Link]
[Link]/international
org/about-us/faqs/, last accessed February 2012
Leonard Cheshire Disability is a company
6 UNESCO, GMR Report 2010 limited by guarantee, registered in
FAX FAX
7People with Disabilities in India: From Commitments to England no: 552847, and a registered charity
Outcomes, World Bank, July 2007 no: 218186 (England and Wales) and
8 As above, World Bank 2007 no: SCO05117 (Scotland).
9 Ministry of Education (MOE) (2012) Nepal Education in figures
Paper author: Diana Shaw
2011, Ministry of Education, Kathmandu, Nepal FAX Editorial
FAX advisors: Ingrid Lewis,
10 UNESCO, GMR Report, 2010 Marcella Deluca, Sunanda Mavillapalli
Design: Richard Mehl
11Global Partnership for Education, [Link]
org/about-fti/the-value-of-education/ (accessed January 2012)
FAX Photo
FAX credits: Fran Black, Jenny Matthews,
12[Link] Gideon Mendel, Sudhindra CN, Charlotte Crowe,
leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-all/education-
and-the-mdgs/goal-4/ Leonard Cheshire Disability
13 [Link]

=article&id=272:hights-of-the-report-on-disability-in-uganda-
&catid=42:latest-news
14Evaluation of: Enabling people with disabilities to access
mainstream education and employment rights in South Asia,
Leonard Cheshire Disability UK, by Lorraine Wapling, July 2011
15 As above in 14