Inclusive Education Initiative Newsletter #29 | March 2025

Transforming Education for Children with Disabilities

March 2025 | Issue #29

COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SOCIETY (CIES)
Annual Conference: Envisioning Education in a Digital Society
MARCH 22-26, 2025
Envisioning Education in a Digital Society, the CIES 2025 conference theme, is inspired by rapid
transformations taking place due to technological advancements that are reshaping our daily lives,
the future of work and our society, all of which have profound impacts on education. These
advancements bring complex challenges, including the adoption of technology in educational settings,
ethical concerns, and the new digital divide that technologies can create.

Global Disability Summit
APRIL 2-3, 2025, BERLIN
The Global Disability Summit aims to galvanize global efforts to realize disability inclusion around the world. It is a mechanism bringing together a wide variety of high-level stakeholders, engaging and discussing the progress in disability inclusion: governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector, academia and civil society organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, and foundations. Online streaming will be provided.

UNESCO 
International Day of Education 2025
JANUARY 24, 2025

Under the theme “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation”, the 2025 International Day of Education inspires reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities navigate, understand and influence technological advancement.

WORLD BANK
Strengthening Inclusive Education Systems Regional Workshop
FEBRUARY 10-13, 2025
The Strengthening Inclusive Education Systems regional workshop, held in Kigali, brought together approximately 70 policymakers, practitioners, academics, and experts in disability inclusion in education. This workshop was part of the World Bank’s Inclusive Education Policy Academy and Learning Exchange for Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia.
The event marked Phase 2 of the Inclusive Education training (2024-2026), supported by the Scottish Government through the World Bank’s Foundational Learning Compact Trust Fund (FLC). It focused on assessing the current state of inclusive education globally, in Africa, and in the participating countries.

The workshop included site visits to various schools and education institutions in Rwanda and featured deep-dive sessions covering key thematic areas such as teacher education, assistive devices and technologies in education, and challenges related to reading and writing difficulties. Participants concluded the workshop by reflecting on newly acquired knowledge and identifying priority actions to drive systemic changes and implement a twin-track approach to advancing inclusive education.

UNICEF
Multidimensional approach to disability inclusion
This case study features various examples of interventions in sectors such as: education; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); and social protection in emergencies. It presents key achievements in programming for children with disabilities, challenges faced, lessons learned and potential for replication. The document also examines the impact of factors including provision of assistive technology and disability disaggregated data in ensuring the full realization of the protection of children with disabilities in emergency context.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS GLOBAL CENTER FOR INCLUSION IN EDUCATION
Special Olympics: The Global State of Inclusion in Education: Promises Made Must Become Promises Kept
Last year, the first annual assessment of inclusion in education, reported the progress that the Special Olympics Center for Inclusion in Education  have led and seen since their founding in 1968, as well as the immense challenges left that still demand  immediate action as a society. The overwhelming response to that letter reinforced what we’ve long known: the aspiration for genuine inclusion transcends borders, cultures, systems and, most importantly, disability status. While governments worldwide have signed declarations and conventions promising an inclusive education system that accommodates diverse learning needs, the reality remains stark: according to UNICEF, children with disabilities are nearly 50% more likely never to have attended school than children without disabilities. 

HUMANITY & INCLUSION
Beyond Access: Ensuring the continuity of education for adolescent girls with disabilities
Education for all girls: where are we today? Education is a fundamental human right and a pillar of individual and societal development. Over the past 20 years, access to education has improved, but millions of children and young people remain excluded. Adolescent girls with disabilities face unique challenges with regard to staying in school, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

EDUCATION CANNOT WAIT 
State of Education for Crisis-Affected Children and Adolescents: Access and Learning Outcomes
Education Cannot Wait (ECW)'s new report reveals that the number of school-aged children in crises worldwide requiring urgent support to access quality education has reached 234 million – an estimated increase of 35 million over the past three years. Of these, 85 million are out of school. Refugees, internally displaced children, girls and children with disabilities remain among those most impacted by these intersecting crises. 

SPECIAL OLYMPICS GLOBAL CENTER FOR INCLUSION IN EDUCATION
Inclusive Practices as Positive Disruptors for Systems Change in Education
This brief explores how inclusive practices have been instrumental as positive disruptors of social and academic exclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), thereby creating socially inclusive environments that transform the cultural and educational practices in schools. These inclusive practices provide opportunities for all students to participate in meaningful, high-quality education in their local community, alongside their peers and friends. 

CAMPBELL SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 
Effectiveness of interventions for improving educational outcomes for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Children with disabilities fall behind in educational outcomes as the current school systems are not set up to teach children with different impairment types. There is no one ‘magic bullet’ intervention which can equalise health outcomes for this group. A twin-track approach is needed, which both addresses the specific needs of children with disabilities but also ensures that they are included in mainstream activities (e.g., through improving the skills of teachers and accessibility of the classroom).

RESEARCHGATE
Teachers understanding of inclusive education and challenges in implementation in the English education system in Cameroon
This study examines teachers understanding of inclusive education in the English education subsystem in Cameroon and the challenges they experience in its implementation. Based on interviews with some selected teachers, the findings reveal a strong focus on students with disabilities as well as the view of inclusive education as the removal of cultural barriers that pervade access and participation in education. 

New partnership with film festival focused on disabilities will give educators access to its collection
BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE
MARCH 3, 2025
A groundbreaking partnership with ReelAbilities Film Festival to promote disability inclusion through film and art will give all New York City public school K-12 educators unlimited access to ReelAbilities' films, lesson plans and discussion guides.

What we can learn from families of children with disabilities about inclusive family, school, and community engagement
BROOKINGS
FEBRUARY 25, 2025
Families around the world spend countless hours navigating complex education and healthcare systems and advocating for their children’s rights and needs to make sure they can attend school and learn. According to Christina Cipriano, an educational researcher and parent of children with disabilities, “The barriers that families of children with disabilities face are a constant reminder that the systems they operate in were not designed to include their children. Positioning families as partners in their child’s education is essential to ensuring their needs and rights are upheld.”

Reflecting on youth advocacy in Indonesia for inclusive and equitable education
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION
FEBRUARY 17, 2025
With youth activism, it feels like you make a lot of progress and then some hurdles come along. It can feel tough sometimes, but I have a strong community of young people to tackle these challenges. Last year, the month of May was difficult as I was advocating for several issues in the education sector in my country, navigating the wave of university student protests across Indonesia, including where I live in the South Tangerang region, while also maintaining partnerships with education officials.

Moldova: Assistive technology makes education more inclusive
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
Moldova’s Ministry of Education and Research, with support from UNICEF and GPE, have procured nearly 500 assistive technology devices for children with visual and hearing impairments, including Braille typewriters, video magnifiers, screen-reading software and adapted keyboards. By mid-2025, more than 1,000 devices will be procured to support children with special educational needs across Moldova.

Beyond Access - Ensuring the continuity of education for adolescent girls with disabilities
HUMANITY & INCLUSION
FEBRUARY, 2025
New video from Humanity & Inclusion highlights the challenges and key enablers for adolescent girls with disabilities to stay in and progress through education.

Inclusion is the Key to Unlocking Every Child's Potential
SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL
JANUARY 26, 2025
As the world marks the International Day of Education, it is a moment for reflection—and action. Education is the cornerstone of opportunity, but for millions of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), it remains out of reach. This year, Special Olympics issues its second annual Global State of Inclusion in Education letter, a call to action for global education and government leaders to make good on their commitments to inclusive education.

Breaking down barriers – A new model for disability inclusion in education
EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL
JANUARY 20, 2025
Disability should not be viewed as an inherent trait of an individual but as a result of societal barriers that prevent full participation. These barriers, both physical and attitudinal, often limit opportunities for individuals with disabilities, especially within educational settings. How we approach disability impacts inclusivity, independence, and quality of life for countless individuals.

Special ed students benefit from being integrated at school. It doesn't always happen
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (NPR)
JANUARY 9, 2025
Adaline and Kellen go to school less than two hours away from each other, but their experience in the classroom is a world apart. That's because Adaline spends most of her school day in a separate class with other students who have disabilities, rather than with her first-grade peers. Meanwhile, Kellen spends more than 80% of his day in a fourth-grade general education classroom, learning alongside his non-disabled classmates.

Accelerated education programs for out-of-school children and youth: Evidence from practitioners
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION
DECEMBER 12, 2024
With an estimated 251 million children and youth out of school, research, policy and guidance tools focusing on out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY) have multiplied. The GPE Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) – a joint endeavor with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) – has funded several projects in support of scaling promising or proven innovations that address education access and retention for OOSCY.

We want to hear from you!

Please share your disability-inclusive education activities, success stories, upcoming events, and other exciting resources. Please connect to our website: https://www.inclusive-education-initiative.org/community or send to iei@worldbank.org 

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