Resources search

Ensuring the right to quality inclusive education for persons with disabilities: From commitment to action

UNESCO
November 2020

Expand view

The international symposium "Ensuring the right to quality inclusive education for persons with disabilities: From commitment to action", co-organized by UNESCO, the Leonard Cheshire, and the Ministry of Education of Portugal brought together a wide range of stakeholders across the globe to discuss progress, successes achieved and challenges to ensure full participation and access to quality learning opportunities for all learners.

The symposium aims were to:

  • review persisting, as well as new challenges, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that are hindering the fulfilment of the right to inclusive education for learners with disabilities.
  • facilitate the exchange of experiences on factors influencing successful inclusive policies and practices for learners with disabilities and strengthen dialogue and cooperation amongst stakeholders at policy and practice levels.
  • explore how the inclusion of learners with disabilities in inclusive settings can be more effectively addressed by governments with regards to the commitments of Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the CRPD General Comment 4 on article 24, and Sustainable Development 4 SDG 4, to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The programme included:

Opening session - Accelerating efforts towards inclusive education for learners with disabilities. (Video recording: English - French - Spanish)

Session 1 - From legislation to inclusive practices: Re-designing policy frameworks, funding and monitoring arrangements across sectors for inclusive education for learners with disabilities. (Video recording: English - French - Spanish)

Session 2 - Revisiting the teaching and learning process to ensure access and participation of learners with disabilities.

Session 3 - Moving towards inclusive and safe learning environments, including by addressing violence and bullying against learners with disabilities.
 

Closing session - Rebuilding a Stronger Global Disability Inclusive Education System post COVID-19. (Video recording: English - French - Spanish)

COVID-19, Amplifying Voices: Our Lives, Our Say: Learning from COVID-19 through the experiences of blind and partially sighted persons across the world

ZAYED, Yana
et al
August 2020

Expand view

The World Blind Union (WBU) conducted a study to examine the extent to which COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some deep structural inequalities in society. Data gathered from the study is evidencing that persons with disabilities, older persons, and persons from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds are among those hardest hit by the pandemic. While this report puts a spotlight on the voices of blind and partially sighted persons, many of the experiences shared strongly resonate with numerous other studies that are also highlighting how marginalised groups have been affected by this crisis. Through this report, WBU hopes to raise awareness on the specifics of what those challenges have meant in reality for its constituents, as well as shed light on what have been effective resilience strategies for them. The study was made possible with the support of CBM Global

To understand the situation of our constituents, the World Blind Union (WBU) conducted a global survey in collaboration with key stakeholders. In April 2020, the WBU launched an open online survey for seven weeks in Spanish, French and English, seeking information from blind and partially sighted persons on how COVID-19 was impacting their day to day life. 853 people participated in the survey. The respondents expressed in their own words how their lives had been and continue to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. This report is a compilation of those voices. It depicts the ways in which COVID-19 response measures taken by state and non-state actors have created additional barriers and challenges for blind and partially sighted people. It also includes powerful testimonies on how people have shown resilience in the face of adversity.

 

 

Inclusion and education: All means all. Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report 2020

GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT TEAM
June 2020

Expand view

The 2020 GEM Report assesses progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education and its ten targets, as well as other related education targets in the SDG agenda. The Report also addresses inclusion in education, drawing attention to all those excluded from education, because of background or ability. The Report is motivated by the explicit reference to inclusion in the 2015 Incheon Declaration, and the call to ensure an inclusive and equitable quality education in the formulation of SDG 4, the global goal for education. It reminds us that, no matter what argument may be built to the contrary, we have a moral imperative to ensure every child has a right to an appropriate education of high quality.

The Report also explores the challenges holding us back from achieving this vision and demonstrates concrete policy examples from countries managing to tackle them with success. These include differing understandings of the word inclusion, lack of teacher support, absence of data on those excluded from education, inappropriate infrastructure, persistence of parallel systems and special schools, lack of political will and community support, untargeted finance, uncoordinated governance, multiple but inconsistent laws, and policies that are not being followed through.

Global education monitoring report, 2020, Latin America and the Caribbean: inclusion and education: all means all

GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT TEAM
LABORATORY OF EDUCATION RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (SUMMA)
UNESCO OFFICE SANTIAGO AND REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (OREALC/UNESCO)
2020

Expand view

This regional report on inclusion and education in Latin America and the Caribbean offers a deep dive into the core challenges and key solutions for greater inclusion, in a region characterized for having the largest and most challenging socio-economic inequalities in the world.

In the framework of this report, 29 in-depth case studies from the region covering 8 dimensions of exclusion were prepared. The Report covers access to education of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and Haitians in Dominican Republic; remoteness in Suriname and Brazil; disability in Nicaragua; girls in Peru and boys in Jamaica; sexual orientation in Mexico and Chile; and youth incarceration in Uruguay. It also explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed and deepened the disparities that already existed in education.

Chapter 2 analyses the role of legal tools in supporting the development of inclusive education. Chapter 3 addresses governance and finance. Chapter 4 discusses the politically complicated issue of how curricula and learning materials are adapted to the principles of inclusive education. Chapter 5 looks at ways teachers can support the case for inclusion, considers their needs, and examines how well governments help them prepare to meet the inclusion challenge.  Chapter 6 examines school-level factors. Chapter 7 examines communities’ crucial role in achieving inclusive education. After these chapters addressing the main inclusion challenges, Chapter 8 looks at them all through the lens of COVID-19. 

Sphere guidelines : humanitarian charter and minimum standards in humanitarian response|3rd Ed

THE SPHERE PROJECT
2011

Expand view

This handbook establishes shared principles and a set of universal minimum standards in core areas of humanitarian response. It provides a new chapter on protection principles, which considers the protection and safety of populations affected by disaster or armed conflict as an integral part of humanitarian response. It describes core standards for effective and accountable humanitarian response and advocacy, and outlines the minimum standards in the following four technical chapters: water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion; food security and nutrition; shelter, settlement and non-food items; and health action. Each minimum standard highlights key actions, key indicators and guidance notes
This edition also addresses emerging issues, such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, early recovery of services and livelihoods, cash transfers, and civil-military relations. Understanding and supporting local responses to disaster is a priority reflected in the whole handbook, as is reinforcing the capacity of local actors
This handbook is useful to all working in humanitarian response

EDUCAIDS resources

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
August 2009

Expand view

This CD-ROM contains more than 200 supporting documents for the EDUCAIDS Resource Pack including: * 35 technical briefs; * Overviews of practical resources on quality education; content, curriculum and learning materials; educator training and support; policy, management and systems; and entry points, as well as the original reference documents, and * The EDUCAIDS framework for supporting comprehensive education sector responses to HIV and AIDS

The state of the world's children 2009

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
December 2008

Expand view

The 2009 report ..."examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health, underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. "The report outlines the latest paradigms in health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies, programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health. Africa and Asia are a key focus for this report, which complements the previous year's issue on child survival." The report can be downloaded as a PDF or a multi-media version is also available in four languages

Directory of associations of people living with HIV/AIDS

SYNERGY PROJECT
July 2004

Expand view

A directory of organisations for people living with HIV/AIDS. The directory is organised by geographical region. Each entry provides the contact details of an organisation, along with information about the services it offers. There is also a section looking at further sources of information for people living with HIV/AIDS

Publications and resources

INTERNATIONAL HIV/AIDS ALLIANCE
July 2004

Expand view

This CD-Rom contains over 150 publications by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. These resources include lessons learned reports and studies, technical support publications, policy reports and briefing papers. The themes covered include general Alliance publications; care and treatment; civil society development; orphans and vulnerable children; prevention; and Alliance Ukraine publications. The publications are available in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian

Humanitarian charter and minimum standards of disaster response|The Sphere handbook

THE SPHERE PROJECT
2004

Expand view

This handbook is the result of an international initiative aiming at improving humanitarian and emergency assistance. The handbook describes the core principles and minimal standards of humanitarian action. This edition includes vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly people and disabled people. The handbook is a practical tool that can be used to define overarching project goals and to monitor the success of the assistance that is provided

2004 report on the global AIDS epidemic

WOODS, Sandra
Ed
2004

Expand view

This annual report takes an overall look at the global AIDS epidemic. It considers the impact of HIV and AIDS on people and societies and includes a particular focus on the orphans and vulnerable children. It takes a further look at scaling up HIV prevention initiatives, with considerations about the threat of HIV to young people. There is a look at treatment, care and support for people living with HIV. It also takes into account the notion of human rights and protection. There are finally some considerations of the financing of responses to the crisis, and the need to coordinate national responses to HIV and AIDS. There is a table fo useful information on country specific estimates and data relating to HIV and AIDS

Connecting to care : addressing the unmet need in HIV

AIDS ACTION FOUNDATION
2004

Expand view

This CD-ROM holds a workbook is about connecting people to medical care and health services in the United States of America. 17 methodologies from 9 different areas of the United States are described in this workbook. These are selected from a wide range of settings, including community based organisations, clinics, and housing services. All the methologies described address one central question: how does the activity help reconnect HIV positive people, who know their status, to healthcare? Although based on the context of health and social services available in the United States, some methods and activites might be of interest to people in low-resource settings

Greenstone digital library software

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION (UNESCO)
NEW ZEALAND DIGITAL LIBRARY PROJECT(NZDL)
HUMAN INFO NGO
March 2003

Expand view

Greenstone is a suite of software for building and distributing digital library collections. It provides a new way of organising information and publishing it on the Internet or on CD-ROM. This CD-ROM contains the open source software as well as supporting documentation

Writing for change : an interactive guide to effective writing, writing for science, and writing for advocacy

FAHAMU
2002

Expand view

This training resource is designed primarily for people working in the not-for-profit sector, including researchers, scientists, project managers, team members, campaigners, fundraisers, social activists and writers. Divided into three sections: 'Effective Writing: Core Skills', 'Writing for Science', and 'Writing for Advocacy'. 'Effective Writing: Core Skills' helps to develop the skills needed to write clearly and purposefully, organise ideas and express them well. 'Writing for Science' shows how to produce writing for publication in specialist journals. It teaches how to build on the core skills of effective writing and add further skills that apply to this specialised type of writing. This section gives a better chance of getting published, discusses the ethics of authorship, how to respond to editors and correct proofs. 'Writing for Advocacy' contains a wealth of advice on how to win hearts and minds and how to adapt core writing skills to lobbying or campaigning documents. The section looks at articles, leaflets, newsletters, pamphlets, press releases and posters. Extra features include a resource centre with suggestions for further reading and links to useful websites and resources

International classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF)

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2001

Expand view

ICF is a classification of health and health related domains that describe body functions and structures, activities and participation. The domains are classified from body, individual and societal perspectives. Since an individual's functioning and disability occurs in a context, ICF also includes a list of environmental factors

Safe motherhood strategies : a review of the evidence

DE BROUWERE, Vincent
VAN LERBERGHE, Wim
2001

Expand view

Includes 19 scientific background papers which review the published and grey literature on a variety of topics around reducing maternal mortality. They were commissioned by the European Commission to inform strategy and policy

Pillars

TEARFUND

Expand view

PILLARS is an approach for producing written information, in local languages, that is useful to local people - not just translating, but enabling community members to record their experiences and ideas. This CD-ROM contains the PILLARS Workbook in PDF format, which guides the process; and, to facilitate the design process, the PILLARS document files in Adobe Acrobat 3.0 (pdf), QuarkXPress 3.3 and PageMaker 6.5 formats for each of the existing English, French, Spanish and Portuguese Guides, together with all the image files required. It also includes a PageMaker template for creating new Guides, and PageMaker files for producing letterheads and a certificate for use by local groups

Stop disasters : a disaster simulation game from the UN/ISDR

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR DISASTER RISKS REDUCATION (UNISDR)
PLAYERTHREE

Expand view

This online video game engages children aged 9 to 16 to teach them how to protect urban areas and villages against natural hazards through disaster risk planning and management. It sensitises children on basic notions of disaster risk reduction in a fun and entertaining manner. Its main objective is to raise awareness about the issue and does not pretend to educate children on all the aspects of disaster risk reduction issues
The online game includes five natural hazard scenarios (flooding, tsunami, wildfire, hurricane and earthquake) set in five different geographic environments with three different levels of difficulty that require critical decision-making and strategic planning. In each scenario, the player has a specific mission to fulfill within a budget and limit time. Then a natural hazard strikes after which the player assesses damage and receives his/her score. The player who has protected the most people and their livelihoods (property and resources) wins the game

E-bulletin