The right of children with disabilities to education: A rights-based approach to Inclusive Education POSITION PAPER (Draft)
The Right of Children with Disabilities to Education: A Rights-Based Approach to Inclusive Education paper was commissioned by the UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEECIS). It is the result of collaboration between many individuals, and appreciation is extended to each of them.
The principal author of this position paper was Gerison Lansdown. Ms. Lansdown was the founder and director, in 1992, of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, established to promote implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. She has published and lectured widely on the subject of children’s rights. Her dedication in writing this paper and integrating a wide range of inputs from various organizations and UNICEF country offices throughout the consultation process has been highly appreciated.
Inclusive Education – Focus on Children with Disabilities
The Right of Children with Disabilities to Education: A Rights-Based Approach to Inclusive Education proposes a conceptual framework on the very specific issues that affect the inclusion of children with disabilities in Central Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CEECIS). This paper builds on existing frameworks (Salamanca Statement, UNCRC and UNCRPD) and provides definitions of key concepts – starting with the definition of Inclusive Education – using a human rights approach. It describes the challenges encountered by children with disabilities in CEECIS to get access to education and more importantly, it provides a menu of policies and strategies that need to be put in place and implemented by a range of stakeholders (government, municipalities, non-state actors including parents and civil society...) in order to realize the right of each and every child with a disability to quality education.
Children with disabilities form a significant proportion of the out-of-school population in CEECIS and their right to access quality education is too often violated. Children with disabilities are here presented as a priority group for UNICEF in the region, one that is subject to severe discrimination, segregation and exclusion from all social aspects of life.
