An estimated 40 million of the 115 million children out of school have disabilities. If they are not included into schools the goal on universal primary education cannot be obtained.
World Bank on disability and education
In the education sector disability is mainly addressed through inclusive education policies and programmes. Inclusive education is based on the fundamental principle that all should have the opportunity to learn, and it is the framework for including children with disabilities in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. In 1990 WHO estimated that only 1-2% of children with severe or multiple impairments attend school. Inclusive education as a principle is not easily translated into practice. On the contrary it is the subject of lively debate as it generates questions of a moral and educational nature. In addition, there are practical issues in developing countries with limited infrastructure for accessibility and teacher expertise for children with special needs. On the other hand there are indications that when serious efforts are made to include children with disabilities into public schools, an unexpected ‘side effect’ is often that learning processes of other children improve.Through bilateral assistance Danida has been involved in supporting the shift towards inclusive education in Eritrea, Mongolia, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. Currently Danida support to education incorporates inclusive education strategies in Benin, Bhutan, Nepal, and Zambia. Education sector programmes with disability components are under development in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Nicaragua.1. Good Practice Case Stories supported by DanidaDanida supports inclusive education in its sector programmes, through embassy grants, and support to Danish NGOs and Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPOs) that collaborate with local organisations.
The Good Practice Case Stories presented below are Danida funded projects.
The development of the Technical Issue Note and the Good Practice Case Stories For the purpose of this web-site a good practice case story is understood as a concrete example of how disability has been addressed successfully in Danish development co-operation. The identification of good practice case stories on disability in development took a starting point in the summary of disability specific activities annexed to the review report on The inclusion of Disability Aspects in Danish Development Co-operation from November 2004 [pdf] Good Practice Case Stories on disability in development are included in the Tool Box and Good Practices section of several networks at Danida Devforum.Criteria and selection of cases were discussed with staff of Danida’s Technical Advisory Services and representatives from Danish disabled people’s organisations. Good practice case stories in this collection were chosen if they met at least two of the following criteria:
2. Links to Good Practice papers by other agencies and resource centresMaking it Happen: Examples of good practice in special needs education and community based programmes. Twelve country stories compiled by UNESCO [pdf]Inclusive Education of Children at Risk: Good practice guide for emergency education by the Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies 3. Danish policies on disability in the education sectorClick blue link for the complete policy and slide cursor over topic reference to see excerpt of policies
Danida Education Sector Policy, 2001 [pdf]
4. International conventions and declarationsWorld Declaration on Education For All (EFA) and Framework for Action to meet basic Learning Needs (Jomtien, Thailand 1990). The essential goal of the Declaration is to bring the benefits of education to “every citizen in every society”. Partners comprised a broad coalition of national governments, civil society groups, and development agencies such as UNESCO and the World Bank. The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. (Salamanca, Spain, 1994) [pdf]
In the face of slow progress over the decade, the commitment was reaffirmed in the Dakar Framework for Action (Dakar, Senegal, April 2000) and then again in September 2000, when 189 countries and their partners adopted two of the EFA goals among the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015. The EFA commitment is specifically to:
Other international agreements on the rights of people with disabilities:Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 The United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, 1993 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
5. Other resourcesUNESCOUNESCO’s Education For All websiteThe right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion. Conceptual paper, December 2004 [pdf]Open File on Inclusive Education. Support Materials for Managers and Administrators, 2001 [pdf]World BankWorld Bank website on disabilityInclusive Education: an EFA strategy for all children. World Bank publication, November 2004 [pdf]Other:Enabling Education Network. Website on Inclusive Education based at University of Manchester in close collaboration with NGOs.
Including disabled children in regular schools: the Ugandan experience. Summary of study entitled: ‘Teachers’ and pupils’ experiences of integrated education in Uganda’, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 49 (1): 61-78, by S. Arbeiter and S. Hartley, 2002 One size fits all? Approaches to inclusive education.“….When thinking about social inclusion in education and developing policy to aid it, it is necessary to consider the highly complex ways in which race, class, gender and other categories intersect and inter-relate to produce unique individual and group experiences.”Washington group on disability statisticsConstruction of schools, accessibility of built environment and other mobility technologiesUSAID Policy on Standards for Accessibility for the Disabled in USAID-financed ConstructionWorld Bank site on Universal Design or Barrier Free EnvironmentsNothing About Us Without Us. Developing Innovative Technologies For, By and With Disabled Persons. David Werner’s idea book for low-resource settings.
