The Education Research
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Including Disabled Children in Learning:Challenges in Developing Countries1. The continuing challenge of including disabled children in education
The drive to achieve Education for All (EFA) by 2015 has led to a focus on the barriers toparticipation in basic education for marginalized groups (UNESCO, 2010). In particular, therehas been significant criticism that disability was not mentioned in the United NationsMillennium Development Goals (MDGs)
(Albert et al., 2005): “As the world strives toachieve the MDGs it is important that disability is not treated as a left over” Obeng Asamo(n.d.)
.It is increasingly recognised that the MDGs will not be achieved without the inclusionof disabled children and young people
in education, given the close links between disability,lack of education and poverty (United Nations Secretary General, 2007). Many disabledchildren and young people around the world are denied sustained access to basic education.Some of these disabled children never enter school, others start but make poor progresseventually ‘dropping out’, and it appears that a relatively small proportion are educated in aparallel system of special schools, running alongside mainstream schools. In the terms of theCREATE (Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity) model of zones of exclusion (Lewin, 2007), they are likely to be concentrated in zone 1 (never havingbeen enrolled), zone 2 (having ‘dropped out’ of primary school) or zone 3 (in primary schoolbut with poor achievement and/or attendance and therefore at risk of dropping out beforecompleting the primary cycle). Children and young people are however, also vulnerable toacquiring impairments that affect their access to education at any point in their educationalcareers, for example due to conflict or inadequate access to healthcare. Exclusion fromeducation contributes to further economic exclusion in adult life with many disabled peopleunable to find work (United Nations Enable,
Including Disabled Children in Learning:Challenges in Developing Countries1. The continuing challenge of including disabled children in education
The drive to achieve Education for All (EFA) by 2015 has led to a focus on the barriers toparticipation in basic education for marginalized groups (UNESCO, 2010). In particular, therehas been significant criticism that disability was not mentioned in the United NationsMillennium Development Goals (MDGs)
(Albert et al., 2005): “As the world strives toachieve the MDGs it is important that disability is not treated as a left over” Obeng Asamo(n.d.)
.It is increasingly recognised that the MDGs will not be achieved without the inclusionof disabled children and young people
in education, given the close links between disability,lack of education and poverty (United Nations Secretary General, 2007). Many disabledchildren and young people around the world are denied sustained access to basic education.Some of these disabled children never enter school, others start but make poor progresseventually ‘dropping out’, and it appears that a relatively small proportion are educated in aparallel system of special schools, running alongside mainstream schools. In the terms of theCREATE (Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity) model of zones of exclusion (Lewin, 2007), they are likely to be concentrated in zone 1 (never havingbeen enrolled), zone 2 (having ‘dropped out’ of primary school) or zone 3 (in primary schoolbut with poor achievement and/or attendance and therefore at risk of dropping out beforecompleting the primary cycle). Children and young people are however, also vulnerable toacquiring impairments that affect their access to education at any point in their educationalcareers, for example due to conflict or inadequate access to healthcare. Exclusion fromeducation contributes to further economic exclusion in adult life with many disabled peopleunable to find work (United Nations Enable,
References: Ainscow, M (1994) Special needs in the classroom: a teacher education guide London:Jessica Kingsley.Ainscow, M. (1999) Understanding the Development of Inclusive Schools . Abingdon:RoutledgeFalmer.Akyeampong, K., J. Pryor, and J. Ghartey Ampiah, J. (2006) A vision of successfulschooling: Ghanaian teachers’ understandings of learning, teaching and assessment. Culture and Pedagogy: international comparisons in primary education .Oxford: Blackwell.Alexander, R (2008) : 61-78.Bakhshi, P. and J. Trani, (2008), Challenges for assessing disability prevalence: the case of Afghanistan. Alter: European Journal of Disability Research , 2: 44-64.Ballard, K.(1999) Inclusive education: International voices on disability and justice Including Disabled Children in Learning: Challenges in Developing Countries 36Barnes, C (2001) Theory into Practice 44: 194-202.Choudhuri, M A, Khandake, A J, Hasan, R, and Rashida, S A (2005)