Inclusive education must be priority in global development framework

Every child should have the chance to go to school, yet the reality is that many disabled children are denied the opportunity
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People like Gurston have been able to get an education alongside fully abled children thanks to inclusive education programmes run by Leonard Cheshire Disability. Photograph: Gideon Mendel/Leonard Cheshire Disability

Of the 57 million children out of school worldwide, approximately a third have a disability. As international head of programmes for Africa atLeonard Cheshire Disability, I work with the charity's global partners to change that. Our Inclusive Education programme gives children with disabilities the chance to access mainstream education alongside fully abled children. We ensure that classrooms are accessible, textbooks are available in suitable formats and that teachers are trained to include every child in every lesson.

In Zimbabwe, funding from the Anglo American Group Foundation helped us to run an Inclusive Education programme. Between July 2009 and January 2013, we were able to build new toilets, adapt existing ones, add ramps, rails and provide furniture more suited to the needs of children with disabilities. Through workshops and teacher training, my local colleagues have also changed negative attitudes, helping parents and teachers to realise that children with disabilities can and should have access to an education. As a result, 1,000 more children with disabilities in urban and rural areas across Zimbabwe are now going to school.

I also oversee similar inclusive education programmes across several countries in Africa and Asia, including Kenya, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Inclusive education has been crucial in changing the futures of people like Gurston, who was born with curvature of the spine which also affects his arms and legs. "When I was young people used to call me a cow, in our local language, because of the hump on my back. It was very difficult for me to go to our local school as the children and teachers would call me names and no one would want to interact with me in case they got my disability." Gurston's father heard about an inclusive school that the Leonard Cheshire Disability supported and shortly after, Gurston was enrolled at the school. While there, he discovered his love for music and the performing arts.

Gurston has since gone on to study at college with the aim of becoming a music teacher in a primary school. He also performs with a professional dance group of people with different abilities as well as volunteering as an early childhood teacher. "I believe that whatever I put my mind to I can achieve it and this belief in myself has been fostered by the belief that Leonard Cheshire Disability has always had in me."

Examples such as this show that we're making good progress, but with millions of disabled children worldwide still out of school, we cannot change things alone. We need world leaders to recognise the potential of all our children to succeed through education. Until this is achieved millions of young disabled people will continue to be denied a chance.

When the world came together to agree the Millennium Development Goals back in 2000, there was no mention of disability. As the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals approaches, however, world leaders are debating a new framework for combating global poverty. Education for people with disabilities must be a priority in the new development framework.

There are many wider benefits to providing inclusive education to people with disabilities too. It not only supports many children directly but also helps to change negative attitudes towards disability that can be long engrained within communities. Moreover, it increases someone's chances of getting a job, giving them a route out of poverty.

We can all work together to make education a reality for all, subsequently helping young adults to realise their potential in the workplace. This year, the Global Campaign for Education will focus on education and disability.

Find out how you can support the campaign.

Leonard Cheshire Disability has one of the world's largest networks dedicated to supporting people with disabilities, working in 55 countries. Through its education programme, it has supported over 10,000 disabled children in Africa and Asia to receive a quality education.

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/inclusive-education-priority-global-development

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