CONNECT A SCHOOL, CONNECT A COMMUNITY

The reasons that children with disabilities do not attend school in developing countries are complex. It is increasingly accepted that the so-called medical model of disability often serves to stigmatize persons with disabilities while inadequately dealing with wider issues of exclusion from a person’s society, environment and culture. Under the social model of disability, conversely, the main barriers to access for children with disabilities can be summarized as follows: Attitudinal – Social or institutional attitudes that persons with disabilities cannot or should not be educated.49 Physical - Most schools are not designed to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities. Inaccessible entrances, toilet facilities, corridors and doorways for people with physical or sensory disabilities make physical access to school buildings difficult and often impossible.50 Pedagogical - There is little or no training of teachers in meeting the educational and communication needs of children with disabilities. Infrastructural – No transportation (or inaccessible transportation) is provided to enable children with disabilities to travel to school. One survey in Bangladesh found that parents of children with disabilities saw the absence of a specialized transport system from home to school in rural areas, and the lack of subsidized support for rickshaw transport, as major constraints.51 Policy – While most countries have a policy framework to support inclusive national educational systems, many do not have strategies in place to address the barriers preventing children from attending school. Indeed, the grossly inadequate level of support for children with disabilities in general schools often drives parents and groups representing persons with disabilities to demand separate provision of educational services.52