Our Priority Areas
Inclusive Education
Education is not only a fundamental right but also a basic necessity to be able to participate and flourish in one's community. Inclusion International has launched and continues to mobilize a global coalition to advance inclusive education on a global basis. We strive to develop strategies and interventions that promote the inclusion of children with a disability in efforts to make basic education available to all children, through the EFA (Education For All) and other initiatives.
Some linked documents on this page are PDF documents, to view them you will need Acrobat Reader. If you don't have it already, click the link to go to Adobe's website where you can download it free. If you have difficulty installing Acrobat Reader please email us at info@inclusion-international.org for help. ............................................................................................................................................................................
Special Workshop and Study Visit on Inclusive Education. Graz, Austria,14-17 April 2008
[Last updated Monday, June 9, 2008]
Graz, Austria
The Workshop was co-organised by Inclusion Europe, Inclusion International, Lebenshilfe Vienna and Lebenshilfe Styria. Programme:
International leaders and pioneers of inclusive education were available to share knowledge and experiences to include children with intellectual disabilities in regular classrooms
Visit of models of good practice of inclusive schools in Styria/Austria
Multi-professional country delegation teams worked out plans for the implementation of Inclusive Education in their countries supported by experts
Networking between country teams
Objectives:
Support member associations of Inclusion Europe to develop inclusive education in their countries – based on the local experience in Styria/Austria and other countries
Make plans for the implementation with the country teams – as a nucleus for further development (e.g. pilot projects)
Establish an informal network among participants and lecturers Diane Richler, President of Inclusion International, participated as a key speaker. Diane spoke about the Implications of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities To read this and other presentations visit:
http://www.inclusion-europe.org/main.php?lang=EN&level=1&s=84&mode=nav1&n1=707
Defining a Rights Based Framework- Advancing Inclusion of Students with Disability. 25-27 Sept. Toronto
[Last updated Thursday, May 8, 2008]
2008 NATIONAL FORUM:September 25th to 27th, 2008 – Toronto, Ontario Does your job require you to make decisions about schooling for students with disabilities?
Are you, your family or your child affected by such decisions?
Are you involved in resolving uncertainty, disagreement and conflict over these decisions? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, let your voice be heard at the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) National Fourm on Inclusion and the education of students with disabilities in the context of human right law. Diane Richler, President of Inlcusion International, will be one of the keynote speakers of this event. The Forum will be held in Toronto, Ontario from Thursday evening, September 25 through Saturday afternoon, September 27, 2008 in Toronto.
You can get up-dated information from http://www.inclusiveeducation.ca/cashraforum/cashraintro.html
You can also contact us for information FallForum2008@gmail.com
Inclusion Europe Conference" Education for All" directs the Future of Inclusive Education
[Last updated Wednesday, April 23, 2008]
BRUSSELS, Belgium 15 April 2008 – Inclusion Europe’s conference on ‘Education for All’ put into motion solid plans for the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in the mainstream education system. The conference, funded by the European Commission, was attended by over 230 participants including: parents, self-advocates, educational experts as well as representatives of the Austrian Government and the Council of Europe.
Read more....
Mia Farah reports on her participation at the Third World Assembly of the Global Campaign for Education.
[Last updated Monday, February 11, 2008]
Marie Farah (Mia), Council member of Inclusion International, last week attended the Global Campaign for Education to ensure that our voices our heard in the efforts to meet the goals of Education For All (2015).
Inclusion International is a member of the Global Campaign and has for several years tried to raise awareness about the systematic exclusion of children with disabilities from education.
Mia with support from Fadia Farah worked to raise awareness of delegates of the need to listen to people who have a disability. Mia had an opportunity to speak to the General Assembly about her experience with education and her presence was an important illustration of the need for inclusion.
Read her report here
A Human-Rights Based Approach to Education for All
[Last updated Tuesday, January 8, 2008]
UNICEF-UNESCO 2007 publication "A Human-Rights Based Approach to
Education for All."
UNESCO SAYS DISABLED FARE WORST: INCLUSION OF DISABLED STUDENTS ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVE EDUCATION FOR ALL
[Last updated Tuesday, December 11, 2007]
Dec 11, 2007
The recently released Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2008, EDUCATION FOR ALL BY 2015: WILL WE MAKE IT? published by UNESCO was hailed by Inclusion International for its recognition of the persistent exclusion of students with a disability from education. While the report paints a sobering picture of the exclusion of children with disabilities from education, this is the first time that UNESCO has recognized the importance of inclusion students with a disability in order to achieve the goals of Education For All.
In some countries, the likelihood of going to school is two to three times greater if the student does not have a disability. Unfortunately, some of the data only considered the presence of a physical disability, and members of Inclusion International report that the likelihood for children with an intellectual disability to attend school is even less. Together with children from poor, indigenous and those living in slums, persons with disabilities were identified in the report as being “at a systematic disadvantage”.
The report calls on national governments to “promote inclusive policies that open schools to disabled children, indigenous children and those from other disadvantaged groups”. The report also stresses the importance of Article 24 of the United Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.
At a global level, the report calls for policy and implementation that emphasize five key factors – inclusion, literacy, quality, capacity development and finance. “Inclusion means encompassing: the marginalized and disadvantaged, whether they be poor, rural and urban slum residents, ethnic and linguistic minorities, or the disabled; all age groups, from early childhood (ECCE) to adults (especially literacy).”
Inclusion International President Diane Richler expressed her satisfaction with the report. ‘UNESCO has said what our members know – that people with an intellectual disability are disproportionately excluded from education and the goals of Education for All cannot be met if this situation is not addressed. Developing education systems that include all students is the only answer.”
Inclusion International (www.inclusion-international.org) is a federation of 200 family-based organizations advocating for the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities worldwide.
For More Information Contact:
Diane Richler, President
Inclusion International
Tel: +1 416-661-7754
Email: dianer@inclusion-international.org
G-8 Ministerial Meeting on Education. Moscow Declaration
[Last updated Tuesday, June 19, 2007]
The Ministers of Education of the G-8 met in Moscow on 1-2 June 2006 to confirm their commitment to cooperation in education at all levels in the 21st century. Read the Moscow Declaration
|
