I became blind at the age of five, which more or less disqualified me from for school in rural Ethiopia. I would most likely have been married off instead if my courageous mother had not intervened. She insisted on enrolling me in school and, with that, changed my life path completely. I excelled, got my degree from law school, became an avid disability and women’s rights activist at university and founded a powerful disability inclusion organisation with other inclusion experts.
Education shapes the future of every child, teaching them to live independently and prepare for employment and social life. Even though education is a fundamental right for all human beings, the barriers hindering those with disabilities are not given enough attention. Or to put it plainly: Governments and education stakeholders are failing millions of their citizens.
Without well planned and sufficiently funded measures for an inclusive system, progression and learning are severely hampered. And only 1% of learning materials are available in accessible formats for blind and partially sighted readers like me, according to a study by the World Blind Union. Consequently, enrollment rates of children with disabilities are lower, and drop-out rates are higher. The impact this will have on our societies and economies is still underestimated or even ignored.
Investing in disability inclusion in the education sector brings forward other advantages as well. Inclusion benefits not merely learners with disabilities, but causes a shift in thinking: Diversity and different learning and communication styles become a value instead of being seen as a problem.
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