The challenge
Around 273 million children and young people are out of school around the world (or “One in six children of school age worldwide is out of school”), reflecting persistent barriers to education and unequal access across countries and communities [unesco.org]. Children with disabilities are among those most frequently excluded from education systems worldwide. Many face barriers such as stigma and discrimination, inaccessible school environments, and a lack of adapted teaching and learning methods.
Teachers often lack the training and support needed to respond to diverse learning needs, while persons with disabilities and their representative organisations have limited voice in decision-making processes.
This creates a gap between policy commitments and everyday practice. As a result, children with disabilities are excluded not only from education, but from full participation in their communities.
Addressing this requires both stronger capacity within schools and greater incluence from those most affected by the exclusion.
Inclusive education
Inclusive education means ensuring that all learners are present, participate and learn in school on an equal basis with others. It is based on the understanding that education systems must adapt to learner diversity, rather than expecting learners to adapt to the system.
This goes beyond access. It requires teachers who can use inclusive methods, learning environments that are accessible and flexible, and systems that recognise and respond to different needs. It also depends on the active involvement of persons with disabilities in shaping policies and practices.
As a human right, inclusive education is anchored in the UN Concention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Achieving this right requires change both in how education is delivered in classrooms and in how education systems are governed.
NAD’s approach
Teachers and other education personnel are at the center of change towards an inclusive education system, and OPDs ensure ‘nothing about us without us’.
NAD promotes inclusive education through a holistic approach that addresses both sides of this challenge: strengthening inclusive practices in schools and ensuring that persons with disabilities can influence the systems that shape them.
Together with partners, NAD has developed the Inclusive Learning Approach (ILA), engaging learners, parents, teachers, school leaders, communities, authorities and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
The ILA has two components. The Inclusive Teaching component builds teachers’ capacity to create accessible, participatory learning environments that respond to diverse learners. The Inclusive Advocacy component supports OPDs and their allies to advocate for inclusive education, ensuring that policies, resources and priorities reflect the rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
By combining these, NAD contributes to sustainable change, where inclusive practices are reinforced by inclusive policies and active participation, enabling all children to learn, participate and reach their full potential.
