A time for the universal right to education: back to basics

Abstract

The participation of children with disabilities in regular schools is too often the prerogative of education boards, who decide whether a child can learn within existing educational environments, rather than pressuring for systemic change and organization in school curricula that would grant the right of education to all children. This article looks at education as a right, as found in international agreements including the UN Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and education as a development tool, and discusses the limits and potential in each of these frameworks. An alternative model is proposed as an approach to universal pedagogy, which incorporates the idea of a flexible curriculum and the development of literacy skills, accessible and applicable to students with different backgrounds, learning styles, and abilities. Qualitative data from a large study in a number of nations monitoring the rights of people with disabilities are presented to illustrate the arguments and provide the perspective of people with disabilities themselves about their experiences in schools.

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