2014: Education and Disability: Equal Right, Equal Opportunity

An estimated 1 billion people live with a disability – comprising approximately 15% of the global population. It is estimated that 93 million of these are children – or 1 in 20 of those aged up to 14 years of age – living with a moderate or severe disability.

In most low- and middle-income countries, children with disabilities are more likely to be out of school than any other group of children; even if they do attend school, children living with disabilities are often more likely to drop out and leave school early. In some countries, having a disability can more than double the chance of a child not being in school, compared to their non-disabled peers.

The rights of millions of children with disabilities are not being met, and it is vital that states take action to ensure that every child realises their equal right to participate in quality education, giving them an equal opportunity to participate in their communities, the workforce and more broadly in society.

GCE’s Global Action Week on Education and Disability took place from 4-10 May 2014.